At a government meeting chaired by the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 7, he proposed to introduce a moratorium on drilling wells and the use of groundwater in districts of Uzbekistan where the groundwater level has dropped by more than 5 meters.
At the event, he said that due to irrational use, there is a depletion of groundwater - one of the important sources of fresh water.
In some districts of Navoi, Samarkand, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Namangan, Fergana and Andijan provinces, the groundwater level has dropped to 5 meters.
Drilling of unauthorized wells continues, uncontrolled and unaccounted for use of groundwater. 90% of wells are not equipped with meters, so it is impossible to keep accurate records of groundwater consumption.
It is planned to introduce a requirement for groundwater users to equip their facilities with water meters by January 1, 2024.
From April 1, 2023, a system for issuing permits will be introduced not for each well separately, but for drilling activities in general.
Geological exploration will be carried out to fully re-evaluate the reserves of groundwater sources, the level of which is declining.
It is planned to create the State Service for Geological Monitoring in order to monitor the state of groundwater and create a unified system of protection against dangerous geological processes.
