Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction

Kyrgyzstan has opened a criminal probe into the destruction of glacial ice by a private company, a rare move pointing to concerns over water shortages in the Central Asian country.

Glaciers are thick masses of ice that form on land from centuries of compressed snow.

They provide a vital source of freshwater in Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country home to thousands of them, but rising temperatures due to climate change and mining operations are putting them at risk.

The glacial ice in the southern Osh region was destroyed when a private company "illegally built a road to a coal mine" in the area, allegedly in collusion with a state-owned firm, prosecutors said on Thursday.

"As a result of the illegal actions of the private company, glaciers and soil spanning an area of 9,392 square metres were destroyed," they added.

Prosecutors said they had opened a criminal case into environmental safety violations and the "abuse of an official position", without elaborating.

Acting as water towers, glaciers are crucial sources of freshwater and play an important role in Kyrgyzstan's food security, as melting ice is used for irrigation and agriculture.

Concerns over water shortages in Central Asia are mounting, with climate change, leaky Soviet-era infrastructure and disputes over water ownership all contributing to the problem.