Uzbekistan is preparing for significant changes in the management of water resources. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during a meeting on October 13, was introduced to a project for the digitalization of water management, which includes improving management at the local level and involving the private sector in this area. An important step will be the launch of the "State Water Cadastre" in April 2026, as well as the establishment of a specialized digitalization center within the Ministry of Water Resources.
The "Suv hisobi" system will provide online accounting of water usage and supply information to consumers. This innovation will minimize the human factor, eliminate paper reporting, and optimize the distribution of water resources.
Currently, the country has over 50,000 kilometers of irrigation networks, 1,600 pumping stations, and more than 10,000 hydraulic structures. However, there are a number of management-level issues, such as insufficient transparency in calculations and weak financial sustainability of organizations. These issues were highlighted in the president's press release.
To ensure high-precision accounting, integration with the "Digital Agriculture" platform will be established, allowing for automatic updates of data on irrigated lands, types of crops, and water limits.
The First Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Zokir Ishpulotov, emphasized in an interview with "Uzbekistan 24" that the implementation of the monitoring system will allow not only tracking water supply but also controlling the expenditure of budget funds through a unified digital platform.
"Recently, at the president's directive, 10 information systems in the field of water management were created, five of which are already operational. Among them is the water accounting system, which allows for setting limits, concluding electronic contracts, and signing water supply acts in digital format," he added.
To determine the volume of water consumed, space technologies will be applied, and the new deputy minister will focus on implementing digital solutions.
In April 2026, the information system "State Water Cadastre" will also be launched, where a unified database will be formed. For services providing water supply, a flexible management system will be introduced, the effectiveness of which will be assessed by KPI.
The head of the department of the Ministry of Water Resources, Abdurashid Kulmatov, spoke about a draft resolution aimed at improving water resource management at the grassroots level and involving the private sector. "Water supply services have been granted the right to determine the number of employees based on financial capabilities and seasonality. The Dustlik district of the Jizzakh region has been chosen as a pilot area for the digitalization project, where automated management of the entire water management system will be implemented," he reported.
Starting in 2026, the material incentive system for employees will be linked to performance results, specifically the ratio between the volume of supplied and actually used water. Additionally, institutions are allowed to direct 40% of tax revenues from water towards improving their material and technical base.
Source: gazeta.uz
