Dusty smoke over Navoi linked to the former Electrochemical Plant area

On July 19, thick dusty smoke spread across the city of Navoi in the Navoi region. The same phenomenon was observed again on July 21 in the city and its surrounding areas, Navoiazot JSC reported.

According to the company, its specialists, together with officials from the Regional Council of the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan, began investigating the cause of the smoke, which had sparked widespread discussion and public concern. To prove that the incident was not connected to Navoiazot JSC’s operations, an additional surveillance camera was installed at the ammonium nitrate production workshop on the company’s premises.

“Footage clearly shows that the dusty smoke is coming from enterprises located on the site of the former Navoi Electrochemical Plant,” the company stated.

Navoiazot JSC emphasized that environmental safety remains a top priority. “For the first time, the enterprise has identified specific, time-bound measures aimed at significantly reducing emissions into the atmosphere. Work is being carried out in stages based on these plans. Therefore, we would like to once again clarify that Navoiazot JSC has no connection to the dusty smoke polluting the air,” the official statement said.

It is worth noting that earlier today, July 21, another environmental incident occurred in Tashkent’s Almazar district, where hydrogen peroxide leaked into the open air from a warehouse. The leak was fully contained by 04:00 by the Radiation, Chemical, and Medical-Biological Protection Department of the Tashkent City Fire Department. An investigation into that incident is also underway.