10 new flood reservoirs be built in Uzbekistan

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered the construction of 10 flood reservoirs across Uzbekistan to better manage water resources, especially during spring and autumn floods. This initiative, discussed at a meeting focused on the efficient use of water and energy resources in agriculture, aims to capture excess water for irrigation, which is currently lost in certain districts.

One significant example comes from Koshrabot district, where 36 million cubic meters of water from streams go unused. A proposed reservoir in this area could enable the irrigation of 2,500 hectares, support intensive vegetable farming, create jobs for 4,000 people, and lift 600 families out of poverty.

The new reservoirs are also expected to improve water supply for 50,000 hectares across Kashkadarya, Namangan, Surkhandarya, Tashkent, and districts in the Fergana Valley.

The President emphasized the need for digitization in the water sector.

To this end, a new Water Management Digitization Center will be established under the Ministry of Water Management, with a unified information system for water usage and monitoring.

While 1,700 online control devices and 12,000 “smart water” meters have already been deployed, they currently lack an integrated system to analyze the collected data.

Additionally, 40% of the revenue from the water tax is allocated to district water authorities, but some funds have not been properly distributed.

Regional governors have been tasked with addressing this issue, and the Ministry of Finance has been instructed to automate the revenue-sharing process between the budget and water users.

It was also previously announced that 2025 will be designated as the "Year of Pump Efficiency Improvement" in Uzbekistan’s water industry, signaling a continued focus on resource efficiency.