Population and territory of natural and man-made disaster protection — factor of sustainable development of Uzbekistan

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Today, the natural and man-made disasters in the world require countries to intensify measures to combat them, to develop programs and measures of the modern demand level to prepare the population for proper movement in emergencies and to implement them systematically.

In particular, since 2017, in the Republic of Uzbekistan, historical work has been started on the provision of civil protection, the fundamental renewal of the system of protection of the population and territories from emergencies, the creation and operation of a comprehensive, compact and modern mechanism in this regard.

During the reform, the systems of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Main Fire Safety Directorate were integrated into a single system, and the state system for emergency prevention and response was coordinated with the fire prevention system. A system has been created for prompt liquidation of consequences in the event of their occurrence.

It should be noted that during the reforms, one of the first tasks was to create a legal framework for the sector. Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 9, 2019 "On the implementation of a qualitatively new system of prevention and elimination of emergencies, fire safety in the Republic of Uzbekistan" and "On organizational measures to further improve the operation of emergency structures", in 2021 of the Republic of Uzbekistan year It would not be a mistake to say that the Constitutional laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On ensuring seismic safety of the population and territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan" dated September 13, in 2021 "On the state of emergency" became one of the documents defining the future of the field.

Based on this, during the large-scale reforms carried out in 2019, the efficiency of measures to protect against emergencies and fires in the regions was increased by covering 208 cities and districts of the republic with fire-rescue units.

Including:

In 2021"Bo'stanlik" and "Zomin" fire rescue squads specialized in eliminating wildfires within the Emergency Situations departments of Tashkent and Jizzakh regions;

The creation in 2022 of the Emergency Situations Department in the Bostonlik district of the Tashkent region, and on its basis - a Specialized Multidisciplinary Department;

In the Kashkadarya region, the Fire Safety Department, which protects the facilities of "Uzbekistan GTL" LLC, and the Fire Rescue Department subordinate to it, are among the units under the Emergency Situations Department’s control.

Emergencies department of Kokdala district of Kashkadarya region and subordinate professional fire-rescue unit;

Specialized fire-rescue squad in the "Silk Road" tourist center of Samarkand region;

Department of organization of fire safety in facilities of "Uzbekistan Airports" JSC;

In 2023 Professional fire-rescue unit in Gaseous Town, Romitan district, Bukhara region;

Divisions for protection against emergencies related to flammable and explosive substances as part of the department for protection against emergencies related to substances with a high risk of burning and explosion and the departments of radiation, chemical, and medical-biological protection of regional administrations;

A fire safety department of the "GTL Chinoz Terminal" facility owned by "Uzbekistan GTL" LLC was established as part of the division under the ESD of the Tashkent region, and a fire-rescue part was established as part of it.

Such updates, in turn, have led to a decrease in the number of fires and emergencies, as well as the number of injuries and deaths in comparison with previous years, while the population of our republic and the number of enterprises and organizations are growing.

Also determined by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan within the framework of the implementation of reforms related to the strengthening of the security and defense potential of our country in the "Uzbekistan-2030" strategy, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in cooperation with several ministries and agencies, with the 98th goal, three directions regarding the prevention of emergencies and disasters that threaten the lives of the population related to global climate change was determined. They consist of:

1. Implementation of the national system of early warning of strong earthquakes in the Republic based on integration with the global system of international seismic observations.

2. Creation of a system for monitoring and forecasting emergencies in water reservoirs and other high-risk facilities.

3. To deepen cooperation in areas such as ensuring unified global security, strengthening the potential for movement in emergencies, and rapid information exchange with all countries of the region, conducting joint training.

Currently, based on these priority goals, system activities are being organized. It should be noted that in the protection of the population and territories from fire and other emergency situations in our country, it is necessary to establish a consistent operation of the state system for the prevention of emergency situations and actions in such situations (hereinafter – Emergency Situations State Structure), to achieve the effectiveness of warning systems, to use international best practices in the field Learning and active application to the system, strengthening the material and technical base, organizing technical modernization work at a high level are important tasks.

When it comes to the activity of ESSS, we understand the theoretical and practical efforts of more than 40 ministries, departments, and organizations that are part of it to prevent natural and man-made emergencies and eliminate them when they arise under the coordination of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

To date, this system is used by the Government Commission and regional commissions against floodingIn accordance with collective address programs, engineering and protection works were carried out in more than 30 water bodies, during 230 special tactical training exercises, 70 thousand 800 cubic meters of soil, 139 thousand cubic meters of stone and gravel, and 22 000 cubic meters of concrete work were carried out. More than 108 km of internal canals and main canals have been cleaned. As a result, in many areas, the events related to inevitable floods have been prevented and the population and territories have been protected.

1,714 heads of ministries, departments, and regional, district (city) hakims, 432 leaders and experts of important economic objects, 23,655 heads of regional, district (city) enterprises, organizations at the Institute of Civil Protection, regional Life Safety Training Centers The staff was trained in emergencies based on training programs.

1,266 special tactical training exercises were held in 45 command staff, enterprises, and organizations to assess the readiness of management bodies and forces and means to move in emergencies in the districts (cities) of the republic.

Monitoring and forecasting activities in civil protection, and emergency prevention, whether we like it or not, in practice demonstrate the effectiveness or complete ineffectiveness of work. Therefore, it is desirable to organize events in this regard in a timely, consistent, and efficient manner.

During the past year, 1-year, 5-quarter and 12-month "Forecast of emergencies that may occur in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan" data was prepared and distributed to the ministries, departments, and organizations that are part of the functional subsystem of the EU, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the regions and the city of Tashkent carried out in place of administration was sent to organize complex preventive measures.

Earthquake monitoring is of particular importance in the field of monitoring. Because pre-preparation for this disaster, which takes the highest, place in terms of occurrence and damage, occupies an important place in the economy and well-being of the state and society.

Monitoring data on 3,024 significant earthquakes observed in the territory of Uzbekistan were submitted to the Academy of Sciences to assess and forecast the seismic situation, and were reviewed 52 times at the meetings of the interdepartmental expert commission.

Under the leadership of the Academy of Sciences, the Republic Center for Seismological Monitoring of the Ministry and 8 seismic stations of Kyrgyzstan (Kaji Say, Frunze, Przhevalsk, Manas, Ananevo, Ala-Archa, Sufi-Kurgan, Batken), Tajikistan (Simiganj) and 1 each of Afghanistan (Kabul) on Seismology was integrated into the SeysKomp 3 program through the global network of research institutions.

In the prevention of fires and other emergencies, the issue of informing and providing information to the population is of crucial importance. Because even a small lost moment can lead to huge losses and destruction.

Today, the smart use of digitization and automation opportunities in reporting and information delivery will certainly bring the expected results.

In this sense, it should be said that today 15 sets of modern devices of the I stage have been installed at the level of the republic for the digitization of the automated system of informing and providing information to the population. Voice and SMS messages are sent through the system to the management staff of ESSS and dispatching services on time, if necessary.

In addition, a unified information system for monitoring, information exchange, and forecasting of natural, man-made, and environmental emergencies was introduced in the system of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and 25 ministries and agencies were integrated into the system at the first stage.

Of course, it is not limited to these initiatives. An example of our idea is to reach information systems such as “Registration of Small Vessels”, “Fire Safety Specialist”, “Rescuer of the Ministry of Emergency Situations" mobile applications, Geoinformation System (GAT) technologies and drones, which are operating in the system today. it is possible to mention the multi-functional monitoring mobile complex, which provides the ability to warn disabled objects and analyze situations, and the "E-inspector" hardware and software complex for fire control.

At the same time, based on the United Nations Development Program in Uzbekistan, practical measures are being taken to reduce the risk of emergencies, comprehensive early warning system and its modernization, in particular, in Jizzakh, Samarkand, Syrdarya, Kashkadarya, Namangan, Fergana, and Tashkent regions.

Unique Experience in the Ministry System – Hearing and Speech Impaired Dispatch Service was also organized, during the year 2023, 3554 appeals were received by citizens with hearing and speech problems. All appeals were received by dispatchers on duty and delivered to the relevant state and emergency services.

Of course, it is planned to continue these activities consistently in the future. In particular, in 2024-2025, in the field of digitization, completion of the system of rapid notification to the population about the danger or occurrence of emergencies, receiving messages about emergencies and fires, creating a "101" system for automated management of forces and tools, in fire-rescue units and high-rise buildings Priorities have been set for monitoring the environment using infrared cameras in buildings and implementing a system for early detection of fires.

As we mentioned above, the study of advanced international experiences through establishing international cooperation and direct application to the system is one of the most effective criteria in developing the field. If we refer to the numbers, during the past period of 2023, 148 international cooperation events were held, 40 of which were held abroad. The participation of 598 representatives of the ministry was ensured in these events. As a result, several international experiences have been widely introduced into the system.

Foreign countries such as USA, China, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Korea, Turkey, Israel, France, Poland, Japan, Great Britain, Belarus, India, Slovakia, Georgia, Albania, Turkmenistan, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan participate in international cooperation activities. It should also be noted that close relations have been established with key international organizations such as SCO, World Bank, UN, EU, IAEA, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, NATO, and ILO.

At the same time, reducing the risk of natural disasters until 2030 on the basis of the Sendai handle program, in particular, in the future, preventing extreme weather events - the overflow of mountain lakes in early spring, floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires, dust-salt storms during the summer vegetation period. It is necessary to mention that it is defined as a priority task.

In addition, the rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Uzbekistan actively participated in eliminating the consequences of large-scale disasters that have occurred in foreign countries, showing the human qualities of tolerance of the Uzbek people and being the first to help when a friend is in need.

Including, during the measures to eliminate the consequences of the catastrophic earthquake that occurred in Turkey in February 2023, the rescue team of the Ministry (100 personnel, 7 vehicles) brought out18 injured people alive from the rubble, found the bodies of 188 dead people and more than a thousand people necessary assistance to the population was carried out.

Technology is a human wing. No matter how much theoretical knowledge and practical skills a rescuer has, he will not be able to achieve efficiency in his work if he does not have modern special equipment and tools. That is why, during the past time, the issues of strengthening the material and technical base of the MES system of our country, and technical modernization are being considered with great attention.

As a result of practical efforts, more than 50 modern vehicles, and 13,500 fire-rescue equipment of 6 types were purchased and put into use last year for fire-rescue structures.

To strengthen the base of fire-rescue teams and create comfortable service conditions for rescuers, a total of 12 new modern fire-rescue team buildings were built and commissioned.

The issue of sustainable development of the Aral Bay region and related activities is echoing not only in Central Asia but throughout the world. In January-March 2023, 128,000 hectares of "green cover" protective forests (the plan is 100,000 hectares) were established in the dry areas of the Aral Sea.

In these events, together with the Ministries of Emergency Situations, Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, from the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Khorezm, Navoi, and Bukhara regions. 2000 personnel, more than 800 equipment, and 5 AN-2 aircraft were involved.

In addition, it was conducted by the Ministry in our Republic more than 582,000 ornamental and fruit tree seedlings were planted within the national project "Green Space".

At the same time, in 2024, the total in the territory of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Khorezm, Navoi, and Bukhara regionsPlanting of desert plants and seedlings is planned on an area of 300,000 hectares.

The above-mentioned activities reflect the fact that today in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the state policy is being carried out based on a well-thought-out, unique strategy regarding the protection of the population and territories from fire and other emergencies. Instead, it should be noted that in addition to these works, there are several tasks to be performed in the future, which require every responsible manager and specialist in the system to serve with high responsibility under the motto "Timely warning, rescue, and assistance".

Our plans and goals:

Conducting 40 command staff and 227 special-tactical training exercises for the training of 24,206 leaders at different levels;

Implementation of 7 scientific research works on the prevention of emergencies and fire safety;

On the prevention of flood waters and flood flows carrying out engineering and defense works at 79 objects in the approved collective address program, We can see in related activities conducting special-tactical training exercises in 235 rivers, creeks, and canals, carrying out forest reclamation works on 300,000 hectares of the dry bottom of the Aral Sea.

Firefighting is an honorable profession. Owners of this profession are constantly fighting to ensure the life, peace, and well-being of others. Republic of Uzbekistan during the 12 months of 2023, 195,899 combat missions were carried out by the fire and rescue units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. A total of 6,613 lives were saved during these performances. As of May 1, 2024, the number of such exits has reached 58,414 times, and as a result of rescue assistance, the lives of 1,867 citizens have been saved.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Emergency Situations of our country and the ESSS bodies operating under its coordination will continue to protect the population and territories of our republic from fire and other emergencies, and will make a worthy contribution to the development of our country, gaining the high trust and attention of our people. After all, population and territory protection is a factor of sustainable development of our country.