“Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy

According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, by 2050, drought could affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population.

According to research by the World Resources Institute and the UK’s Economist Intelligence Unit, the Central Asian states, particularly Uzbekistan, are among the 33 countries expected to face water shortages by 2040.

Notably, more than 80 percent of the water in Central Asia is used for growing agricultural products. Therefore, in recent years, significant work has been carried out in Uzbekistan to introduce water-saving technologies in agriculture. At international events and from high tribunes, the President of Uzbekistan puts forward several initiatives to solve the issue of water shortage and environmental problems jointly.

The third of the five priority areas of the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy includes saving water resources and protecting the environment. In particular, the draft strategy aims to increase water use efficiency by 25 percent, ultimately transferring all cultivated areas to water-saving technologies and 50 percent of internal irrigation networks to closed irrigation systems.

At the same time, a seven-year program of measures will be developed to transfer canals from soil to concrete, with the widespread introduction of advanced foreign experience into the water supply system. At the same time, a system will be introduced to develop a long-term balance of the country’s water resources and create a permanent monitoring system.

It is no secret that most of the water used in agriculture in Uzbekistan comes from neighboring countries. Therefore, the strategy provides for the continuation of active, mutually beneficial cooperation in the issues of joint use of water resources and interstate water facilities.

At the same time, special attention is paid to ensuring the rational use of water resources in agriculture. In particular, by introducing water-saving irrigation technologies and a 20 percent reduction in water supply to each hectare of irrigated land, the productivity of its use will be increased. Improving the reclamation system from land irrigated with one cubic meter of water will make a profit of $3.7.

By 2030, it is planned to increase the flow of private investment by introducing automated control systems in at least 100 extensive water management facilities, the involvement of the private sector in the irrigation sector, and the widespread introduction of public-private partnership mechanisms.

In general, within the framework of the strategy aimed at developing the country for the next seven years, special attention is paid to providing the population with affordable and high-quality food by timely elimination of the consequences of global environmental instability and improving the efficiency of agricultural management.

Oltinoy MAMIROVA,

Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

UzA