"Water scarcity is becoming a serious constraint for the development of Central Asia" — Shavkat Mirziyoyev
The President of Uzbekistan called on the countries of Central Asia to jointly address the issues of water and climate change. "Water scarcity is becoming a serious constraint on the development of Central Asia. Large water losses are costing the region too much," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
"Water scarcity is becoming a serious constraint for the development of Central Asia" — Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Issues of water resources and climate change require joint solutions from the countries of Central Asia. This was stated by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, held on October 8 in the "Avaza" national tourist zone in Turkmenistan.
"Water scarcity is becoming an increasingly serious constraint for the development of Central Asia. The climate is changing, the population is growing, and the pressure on agriculture and infrastructure is increasing. Therefore, we need to have a more precise understanding of how much water we have and how it is being used," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
The President emphasized the importance of introducing modern digital monitoring systems, modernizing irrigation networks, and widely applying water-saving technologies.
"Large water losses today are costing our region too much," the head of state noted.
He called for the full implementation of the joint initiative on the Decade of Practical Action for the Rational Use of Water in Central Asia.
Next year, Uzbekistan will assume the presidency of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. "We view this mission as a great responsibility. During our presidency, we intend to make the fund's work more effective, launch new environmental projects, and attract additional funding," the president said.
According to Shavkat Mirziyoyev, special attention must be paid to the dialogue with Afghanistan on the use of water resources. "This conversation must be continuous and substantive, with mandatory consideration of the interests of all countries in the region," he said.
The President also noted that air pollution is becoming one of the most noticeable problems in Central Asian cities.
He recalled that Uzbekistan had proposed the creation of the "Clean Air of Central Asia" International Consortium.
"Its activities can begin with a specific joint project: a pilot Program for the environmental modernization of industrial zones, agro-clusters, and transport hubs of our countries. This will allow us to move from discussing the problem to practical work where the environmental burden is particularly high," the head of state added.