On January 7, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held the first government meeting in 2022. He instructed the deputy head of the Cabinet of Ministers Shahym Abdrahmanov to extinguish a gas crater that has been burning for more than 40 years near the Darvaza village in the Karakum Desert, as reported by the state news agency «Turkmenistan Today».
Berdimuhamedov stressed that the relevant circumstance has a negative impact on the environment and the peoples’ health. According to him, large volumes of gas are burned in the crater, and they could be sold abroad.
Thus, the state loses a lot of profits, added the president. The leader of the country stressed that the corresponding funds could be directed to improve the well-being of the Turkmen people.
The vice-premier was instructed to gather scientists, and, if necessary, attract foreign specialists to find a solution to extinguish the fire.
The site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971. The engineers found a natural gas pocket there, but the ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater. Expecting dangerous releases of poisonous gases the engineers considered it advisable to burn the gas off. It was estimated that the gas would burn out within a few days, but it has instead continued to burn to date and has become one of the most popular tourist attractions of Turkmenistan.
