The residents of the Jizzakh region complain that due to a lack of irrigation water, they have to use drinking water to irrigate their lands. However, the traditions of saving water are forgotten.
For a long time, scientists have stated that, against the backdrop of global climate change, in particular, a sharp increase in air temperature, serious environmental problems are emerging in the world. Now, this is especially noticeable in the Central Asian countries. Annually, news websites report on natural disasters such as rising river levels, floods, droughts, and reduced flows in transboundary rivers.
These problems are acute in Uzbekistan. Especially, the residents of arid regions complain about this.
Gulandom, 40, a resident of the Pakhtakor district of the Jizzakh region, said that the irrigation canal (ditch for irrigation) dug in front of her house that was used to water their lands, has been dry for many years.
“Our people say, “Even if you are standing in front of the sea, do not waste even a drop of water!” It is not for nothing. How many times have our ancestors said that we should value water and treat it as a precious gift?! Unfortunately, we do not follow these tips. Our canal has not seen irrigation water for many years. Therefore, we have to use drinking tap water for this purpose. Because of this, our relations with our neighbours worsened. The air also seems to become a little dirty. We are so confused when reading online news,” the woman said, referring to news about global climate change.
Sobir Orzikulov, who works at the “Shavkat” farm located in Sharaf Rashidov district of Jizzakh region, also notes that such values as saving water and the tradition of cleaning irrigation canals are gradually disappearing in society.
He said that the water supplied to the farm comes from a stream located very close to residential areas. Due to illegally built houses and garden areas, it is difficult to clean the canals.
“The ditch is full of garbage thrown by residents into the main canal and water is stuck. Unfortunately, our residents do not clean artificially filled ditches fearing that it will litter their homes. Such values, which were followed by our people for centuries, are disappearing,” Orzikulov said.
The experts at the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies researched how water shortages in Uzbekistan affect the agricultural sector in arid regions.
It is noted that due to climate change and increased water consumption from rivers such as the Amu Darya and Syr Darya in neighbouring countries, water shortages in Uzbekistan could amount to about 7 billion cubic metres of water, and by 2030, the country could be among 33 countries of the world with acute water shortages.
Researchers note that droughts and desertification of land may intensify and all this will seriously affect the living standards of the population.
The country’s agricultural sector, which consumes 90% of the total water in the areas located in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins, could be affected greatly, the research says.
Therefore, scientists recommend gradually replacing agricultural crops that require a lot of water with those that require less in those regions of the country where there is already an acute shortage, in particular in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Jizzakh, Syrdarya, and Khorezm regions.
The research examined the water consumption levels of drought-tolerant crops and suggested alternatives. However, the questions of how soon these recommendations will be implemented and how soon the population will get used to saving water remain open.
In CABAR.asia interview, eco-activist, Doctor of Sciences in Philology, Professor Nargis Kosimova spoke about her observations of the impact of the water crisis on the ecology of Uzbekistan and emphasised that the most pressing issue is that people’s attitude to saving water has not changed.
“More than 60% of Uzbekistan’s population consume artesian and well water. Previously, water from artesian wells was at a depth of 70–80 metres but now, water comes out at a depth of 180–200 metres. This shows that the amount of drinking water is decreasing. It is a matter of concern that drinking water is used for other purposes and that secondary water is not available. If we do not change our attitude towards water, we will face a water crisis sooner,” said the environmental activist.
Since 90% of water in Uzbekistan is used for agriculture, agricultural representatives should consider alternative and rational use of water, says Nargis Kosimova.
Overall, despite the measures taken by the government, the situation with water use in Uzbekistan remains difficult.
During a video conference held on October 20, 2023, chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, it was noted that over the past two years, a large volume of subsidies has been allocated for the water sector, including water-saving technologies. However, of the 39 billion cubic metres of water consumed last year, 36% was lost in canals and ditches, the meeting participants noted. In addition, 5-6 billion cubic metres of water are wasted and dumped into sewers, since 70% of the land is irrigated as before.
It was also noted that more than 5,000 pumps used to irrigate 2.5 million hectares consume up to 7 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical power annually. Moreover, 80% of pumps have been in operation for 35–40 years and have already reached their service life.
President Mirziyoyev expressed concerns about this situation in the water sector and sharply criticised industry officials. The tasks were set to reduce losses by concreting canals, to replace pumps with energy-saving ones, and to install automated water meters at water management facilities.
When asked whether any measures to protect water sources from pollution in their area were being taken, farmer Sobir Orzikulov replied that the taken measures were limited to warnings.
“This is when my colleagues and I say that water is a blessing that will one day run out,” he said. He added that it was necessary to improve the financing system using an effective mechanism of preferential loans.
“We, to the best of our ability, work to find solutions to these problems in the region, as much as possible,” said the farmer.