Uzbekistan’s Goal – To Equip All Irrigated Lands with Water-Saving Technologies by 2030

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Just ten years ago, a pressing question was being discussed with international experts: how would climate change, declining rainfall, and the melting of ancient glaciers affect Central Asia? Predictions warned that by 2025, the region’s water resources could shrink by 5 percent, and by 2030 – by 10 percent, creating water shortages for the population.

The President of Uzbekistan has set the water management system a critical task – to provide people with water and compensate for the deficit caused by climate change and other factors.

Thanks to the measures implemented, in 2023 it was possible to save 7 billion cubic meters of water, in 2024 – 8 billion, and in 2025 this figure should reach 10 billion cubic meters. This corresponds to the previously forecasted shortage of water. By 2030, it is planned to save up to 15 billion cubic meters annually.

Once in Nukus, due to groundwater and salinity, even grass barely grew along the roadsides, let alone flowers. In 2017, on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the Dostlik Canal running through the city began to be concreted. The phased construction of the “Nukus” collector also started. In a short time, tangible results were achieved: filtration of water in the canal decreased, and the groundwater level dropped. Today, the streets of Nukus are unrecognizable, flourishing with flowers.

Previously, in Gulistan, due to excessive groundwater rise, there was even consideration of relocating the administrative center of Syrdarya region to the city of Yangiyer. The leader of the country personally took control of this issue, and necessary funds were allocated. As a result of the reconstruction and concreting of the canal passing through Gulistan, water filtration decreased, vertical drainage wells were built, irrigation and reclamation works carried out, and groundwater levels significantly dropped.

There are many such examples. In Urgench, thanks to the concreting of the Shovot Canal, and in the almost swampy Naryn district, through the construction of vertical wells, long-standing problems with high groundwater levels were solved.

On the initiative of the President, major investments are being attracted into the water management sector. With the participation of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Toshsoka canal system in Khorezm region is being modernized; with World Bank funds, canals in the Fergana Valley are being reconstructed; thanks to cooperation with the Asian Development Bank – in Bukhara region; and with IsDB loans – in Surkhandarya region. As a result, in these regions, groundwater levels decreased by 0.3–0.5 meters compared to long-term averages, and the efficiency of the canals increased significantly.

Most importantly – water supply to irrigated lands has improved. In many places, thousands of small pumping stations are no longer needed, as water now flows naturally. This has saved electricity and reduced operating costs.

On November 29, 2023, at a videoconference on measures for rational use of water resources and reduction of losses, the head of state especially emphasized the necessity of concreting canals and ditches.

According to estimates, irrigation systems with natural soil covering annually lose about 14 billion cubic meters of water (36 percent) without any economic benefit. For this reason, 2024 was declared the “Year of Canal Concreting” in the water sector. From the state budget, 676.7 billion soums were allocated to reconstruct 555 km of canals. Clusters and farms cleaned and concreted 13,500 km of internal irrigation networks.

These are not just dry figures – behind them lies the well-being of the people and abundance on every table.

Until recently, there was a mistaken belief that drip irrigation was unsuitable for Uzbekistan’s conditions, and that in our hot climate, the traditional furrow irrigation method was the most optimal. However, of the 4.3 million hectares of irrigated land, almost half have been covered with water-saving technologies in the past seven years.

To support this policy, seven presidential decrees and resolutions promoting the introduction and development of water-saving technologies were adopted during this period. Previously, equipment and components were imported. In 2019, there were only two or three enterprises in the country engaged in such technologies. Today, there are more than 60. Localization has reduced production costs per hectare by 20 percent and ensured on-site servicing. In 2024 alone, 2.5 billion cubic meters of water were saved through water-saving technologies.

If not for the requirements of the head of state, as well as loans and subsidies, we might still be comforting ourselves with the belief that some types of water-saving technologies are supposedly unsuitable for our conditions.

Before us lies an ambitious goal – to equip all irrigated lands of the republic with water-saving technologies by 2030. Only a few years remain to achieve this indicator.

Uzbekistan is taking the lead in introducing water-saving technologies and applying modern methods of water resource management among the countries of the region.

“We call to unite efforts and launch a Regional Program for the introduction of water-saving technologies in Central Asia,” – stated the President of our country, speaking at the Samarkand International Climate Forum.

By the way, thanks to favorable conditions, a new movement has emerged this year among advanced domestic farmers: an increasing number of farms are adopting solar panels for the application of water-saving technologies.

Frankly speaking, about 70 percent of all budgetary funds allocated to the water sector are spent on electricity, which is nearly 7 billion kWh used for the operation of about 1,700 pumping stations.

Thanks to the measures taken, in 2017 consumption was 8.3 billion kWh, but in 2024 it decreased to 6.5 billion kWh.

At a videoconference held on November 7, 2024, on rational use of water and energy resources, as well as reduction of losses in agriculture, the head of state emphasized that in recent years, about $1 billion had been invested in the modernization of major pumping stations such as Karshi, Amu-Bukhara, and Amu-Zang. However, due to the wear and tear of medium and small pumps, the cost of water continues to rise.

Taking such problems into account, new tasks were set at the meeting, and 2025 was declared the “Year of Improving the Efficiency of Pumping Stations in the Water Sector.”

As the President noted, digitalization is the only path to radical changes in the sector: it ensures transparency, accuracy, and prevents corruption.

In line with the tasks outlined in the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy and the 2020–2030 Water Management Development Concept, large-scale work on digitalization has been carried out and a number of technological solutions implemented. In particular, for online monitoring of water resources, “Smart Water” systems were installed at 13,174 gauging stations in reservoirs and irrigation systems; Diver devices were installed in 10,296 reclamation wells to control groundwater levels and soil mineralization; water consumption control devices were installed at 1,748 pumping stations; 96 large water facilities were automated.

A Water Management Digitalization Center was established under the Ministry of Water Management, and the information systems Suv hisobi and Nasos stansiyalari were created. The Presidential Decree of September 23, 2024, “On Priority Measures for the Implementation of the Program ‘From Poverty to Prosperity’” became a vivid example of state care for the people. According to the document, 3.2 trillion soums were allocated to improve irrigation of household plots, ensure stable electricity supply, improve internet quality, repair internal roads, and modernize other infrastructure in 1,000 of the most needy mahallas.

The President of Uzbekistan advocates the idea that people should live well not tomorrow, but today. Within the framework of the “From Poverty to Prosperity” Program, large-scale projects are being implemented in 2025: 1,882 km of irrigation networks have been concreted at 864 facilities with 1.1 trillion soums; 185 km of flume networks, 380 km of pipelines, and 818 irrigation wells have been built; 421 pumping units installed. Water supply has been improved on 77,500 hectares of household plots in 467,000 homes across water-deficient mahallas.

Yes, life is not without difficulties. There are times when water is scarce, and times when it is abundant. But no matter what, the people of Uzbekistan deserve peace and prosperity. Fortunately, they have a leader who cares about everyone living on this land. Thanks to the far-sighted policy of the country’s President, we are on the path of sustainable development, and the lives of our people are becoming more prosperous year after year.

Shavkat Khamrayev,
Minister of Water Management of Uzbekistan