At the meeting of the legislative chamber of the Oliy Majlis held on December 10, Minister of Water Resources Shavkat Khmraev reported a significant decrease in water reserves in Uzbekistan. Over the past year, the volume of water, including transboundary reservoirs, decreased by 6.5 billion cubic meters. This statement was made in the context of a report on the implementation of the Water Resources Management and Irrigation Sector Development Program for 2025–2028.
According to the minister, in 2025, more than 40 billion cubic meters of water were used for agricultural needs. This was achieved thanks to reserves previously accumulated in reservoirs, channel concreting, and the introduction of water-saving technologies. Nevertheless, Khmraev noted that water reserves in internal reservoirs decreased by 2.7 billion cubic meters compared to the previous year.
From 2020 to 2024, Uzbekistan invested 60 trillion soums from the budget and 622 million dollars from foreign sources to improve the efficiency of water resource use and expand access to water supply. As a result, by 2025, water-saving technologies were implemented on nearly 60% of irrigated lands. This year, such technologies covered 817.2 thousand hectares, allowing for the savings of 2.3 billion cubic meters of water.
As part of infrastructure development, many kilometers of channels and irrigation networks, as well as pumping stations and hydraulic structures, were built and restored in 2025. Some facilities implemented online monitoring systems and digital water accounting. The ministry reports that the modernization of pumping stations and the introduction of energy-saving technologies allowed for a reduction in electricity consumption by 200 million kWh compared to the previous year.
Shavkat Khmraev also mentioned violations identified during the implementation of various projects. As a result of inspections, 22 officials were subjected to administrative responsibility, 28 to disciplinary action, and some were dismissed from their positions.
In 2026, it is planned to implement water-saving technologies on an additional 503 thousand hectares, continue the reconstruction of irrigation infrastructure, and expand digital water accounting. Up to 1.6 trillion soums are planned to be allocated from the budget for these purposes, along with attracting about 200 million dollars in foreign investments.
