Air pollution in the capitals of Central Asian countries has become an obvious problem in recent years. Over the past year, Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, has broken all records.
In recent months, Tashkent has repeatedly been ranked among the 10 most polluted cities in the world. For example, according to the Air Quality Index, or AQI, conducted by IQ Air, a Swiss technology company that monitors air quality around the world, the air quality in the Uzbek capital was rated as “unhealthy” for 19 days and “moderate” for one day in January 2024.
Air quality reports over the past year show increasing concentrations of harmful substances in the city’s atmosphere, raising questions about public health and the city’s environmental sustainability. It has become especially difficult for people with respiratory diseases.
Mansur Mokhirov, 61, a resident of the Sergeli District of the Uzbek capital, suffers from asthma. He said that because of the poor air quality, he tries to go for walks early in the morning, at 5 a.m., while the city is still awake, because otherwise it is difficult for him to breathe.
“This air outside is killing me. Even breathing has gotten harder. My health has gotten much worse, and my allergies have gotten worse to the extreme. Even during the pandemic, the air was better. But now the situation is just horrible. We don’t open the windows during the day. If the windows are open, after 15-20 minutes, if you put your hand on the windowsill, you can see a layer of dust,” the man said.
After numerous rains and snowfalls, the air quality has improved a bit, but the situation is still quite deplorable.
On February 21, 2024, the IQAir portal reported that the level of air pollution in Tashkent exceeded the norm dozens of times. At 09:30 am, the monitoring station in the capital of Uzbekistan recorded an index of 247 AQI. The PM 2.5 concentration exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended annual average air quality value by 39.3 times.
All these problems are possible side effects of the rapid urban growth that has engulfed Tashkent in recent years, as well as the impact of climate change, experts say.
They point to emissions from coal- and fuel oil-fired power plants, as well as air pollution from automobile transportation and the shrinking of green spaces due to the city’s continuous construction as the main factors in the deterioration of the environmental situation.
Specialist of the Hydrometeorological Service Agency Marina Plotsen noted that in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Urgench, Termez and Nukus there is an excess of dust content in the air. Also in the air of large cities – the capital of Uzbekistan, Nurafshan, Navoi, Fergana – exceeded the content of nitrogen dioxide.
“The excess of these substances in the air is caused by emissions from industrial enterprises, motor vehicles, development of construction industry, meteorological conditions and geographical location of the republic,” she said.
At the same time, the degree of greening in Tashkent has declined sharply, according to climate expert Erkin Abdulakhatov.
“Even 15 years ago, the city was covered with 20-30% greenery, but now this figure has dropped to 10-18%. Active urban development is under way, and instead of trees and greenery, the city is “dressed” in concrete and asphalt,” Abdulakhatov said.
Another source of problems is the use of fuel oil at the Tashkent CHP plant, which is dangerous because of its high content of harmful emissions such as sulphur, heavy metals and other toxic substances that pollute the atmosphere. This contributes to smog formation and pollution of the environment, including soil and water resources.
While 118,900 tons of fuel oil were consumed at the Tashkent TPP in 2018, this figure exceeded 270,000 tons in 2023 (a 2.3-fold increase).
Over the past four years, demand for these energy resources has grown significantly among both industrial sectors and the population. Coal consumption in the country has increased from 3.9 million tons in 2019 to 6.7 million tons in 2023. After the energy crisis that erupted in the cold winter of 2022, many greenhouses, cement and brick factories, kindergartens, schools and hospitals switched to coal fuel in an attempt to save natural gas.
In addition, the number of automobiles, which also pollute the city’s atmosphere, is on the rise. While in 2021 the total number of cars was 3.14 million, in 2023 the figure has risen to 4.6 million, an increase of 32%.
According to government statistics, an average of about 730,000 vehicles traverse the streets of Tashkent every day. In addition, between 160,000 and 300,000 vehicles enter daily from the regions.
Cars running on A-80 gasoline are particularly harmful, emitting significantly more harmful emissions into the atmosphere than other fuels.
The daily gasoline demand of motorists in Uzbekistan averages 5,000 tons. Of this volume, 3,650 tons is Ai-80 grade gasoline. Approximately 73% of motorists prefer this type of fuel.
The city authorities are trying to combat these phenomena.
For example, on August 10, 2023, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, together with the Ministries of Interior and Health, held a “Clean Air Month” event aimed at reducing toxic emissions from cars.
Clean air in Tashkent is not helped by the fact that the city has lost large tracts of green space since 2009, when trees in Emir Temur Square were cut down.
In 2019, a presidential moratorium on tree felling was introduced for an indefinite period. However, despite this, a huge number of trees continue to be cut down.
Local media have reported that already since the moratorium was put in place, about 49,000 more trees have been cut down. Most of them are destroyed by real estate developers, who are not intimidated by the low fines for this.
The situation is similar in other regions of Uzbekistan. For example, in Khorezm region, in Gurlan settlement, the head of the farm N.H. illegally cut down 81 bushes of naturally growing and biologically healthy trees (turang poplars), which caused damage to nature in the amount of 618.1 million soums.
Human activity significantly affects the air pollution of the city, where there is continuous construction, power plants, production plants, automobiles, and agriculture.
Specialists note that the city of Tashkent is located in a valley. Construction here should be reasonable, as excessive building interferes with normal air circulation.
Due to climate change, the country is increasingly experiencing extreme weather conditions, dust storms, abnormal winters, and droughts in the hot summers.
It should be noted that the country’s authorities, concerned about such a high level of air pollution and its negative impact on human health, are making efforts to reduce the harm. In 2023, a ban on new construction works was introduced, which will last until the approval of the city’s general plan.
The Ministry of Ecology of the Republic reported that it is planned to install dust and gas purification devices at industrial facilities of the first and second categories of environmental impact, as well as to reconstruct and modernize existing systems.
In addition, it is planned to introduce special observation posts that will monitor sources of air pollution, as well as the installation of automatic stations for environmental monitoring.
Measures to improve the situation include introducing into practice in Tashkent the switching of public transport to alternative gas and electric fuels; creating artificial reservoirs to ensure climate sustainability, contributing to the improvement of air quality in the atmosphere; organizing traffic-free zones on the city’s central streets; imposing restrictions on the use of fuel oil as a reserve fuel at thermal power plants; and creating a “green belt” around Tashkent to reduce wind speed and prevent traffic
All these measures may be able to change the situation for the better in the future. In the meantime, Mansur Mokhirov, who suffers from asthma, must wear a special mask when he goes out on the city streets to avoid attacks.