Uzbek government concretizes 15,000 km of irrigation networks

The average annual water demand in Uzbekistan is 51 billion m³. Only 15-20% of this water is sourced within the country, while the rest comes from neighboring nations. This was highlighted during the “Government Hour” of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis. It was noted that 91% of the total water is used in agriculture, while the remaining 9% is allocated to communal services, industry, and energy.

At the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources presented a report on the efficient use of water in the country, the implementation of water-saving technologies, the construction of concrete canals and irrigation networks, and future plans. The minister stated that over the past five years, water-saving technologies have been introduced on 1.9 million hectares, covering 46 percent of the irrigated land. During the discussion, deputies raised relevant questions. Deputy Anvarkhon Temirov pointed out that although an audit report was issued on subsidies for water-saving technologies, the subsidies were not allocated.

In 2024, 700.5 billion soums were allocated from the republican budget for canal concreting, and 554.2 km of main, inter-district, and inter-farm canals were reconstructed, including 437.3 km that were concreted. This year, a total of 15,000 km of internal irrigation networks are planned to be concreted, with 6,754 km already completed. However, some challenges have led to the incomplete implementation of the concreting plan.

The Minister of Water Resources stated that a project for 1,500 km of canals was prepared and reviewed, receiving approval. Initially, funds were allocated from the state budget for its implementation, but later, it was decided to attract foreign investors.

At the end of the “Government Hour,” several proposals were made on the agenda, and it was agreed to ensure parliamentary control over its implementation.