7 hectares of green space in Samarkand disappeared

Two illegal sand and gravel mining incidents in Samarkand region have led to over 800 billion sums in environmental damage, according to the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change.

The first incident occurred at 2:00 AM, when a group of individuals engaged in illegal sand and gravel mining along the Karadarya River in Samarkand region, near Akdarya district. They transported the materials to a stone crushing plant, causing 118 billion sums in damage to nature. Relevant documents have been prepared, and an excavator along with two cargo vehicles have been seized.

In another case, at 4:30 AM, a group of citizens illegally mined sand and gravel from the Zarafshan River, near the Toyloq district. They used seven excavators and 25-30 trucks to transport the materials to stone crushing workshops. This activity caused an environmental loss amounting to 708 billion sums. Documents have been filed, and one excavator along with three trucks have been confiscated.

During preliminary investigations, it was discovered that the constant illegal excavation work in the Zarafshan National Nature Park led to the destruction of 7 hectares of green space.

All relevant documents for these cases have been forwarded to law enforcement authorities for further action.

Additionally, under a Presidential Decree No. 14 dated January 17, 2024, a moratorium has been introduced on the extraction of non-mineral materials in the beds of major rivers including the Chirchik, Sangzor, Zarafshan, Norin, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, and Syrdarya starting May 1, 2024. During this moratorium, penalties for illegal extraction of sand and gravel will be increased by 10 times.

It’s worth noting that a similar case in the Tashkent region caused 700 billion sums in environmental damage.