President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan addressed a meeting of the Council of Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), announcing that Uzbekistan will assume the chairmanship of the organization in 2024. He expressed intentions to transform the fund into a key driver of regional integration and proposed aligning its activities with decisions from Central Asian summits, as well as establishing a legal framework for water resource distribution involving Afghanistan.
In his speech, the president highlighted the severity of water resource issues: according to expert estimates, by 2040, water scarcity in the Aral Sea basin could double, reaching up to 20 billion cubic meters annually, posing additional risks to drinking water supply, ecology, agriculture, and energy stability. He added, “Our countries occupy the lowest positions in terms of water resource use efficiency. To create one dollar of added value in agriculture, our states spend almost three cubic meters of water, while globally this indicator is on average two times lower.”
The Uzbek leader noted domestic efforts in water conservation: water-saving technologies have been implemented on 60% of irrigated lands, concrete lining of irrigation canals has increased by up to 40%, and modernization of pumping stations has reduced energy consumption in water management by nearly 30%. Additionally, a unified digital database covering over 600,000 water users and more than 4 million hectares of irrigated land is being developed, helping save over 10 billion cubic meters of water annually, with this volume expected to reach 15 billion cubic meters by 2030.
President Mirziyoyev outlined six priority areas for the chairmanship: improving the fund’s structure and legal framework, aligning its agenda with Central Asian summit decisions, enhancing project efficiency, utilizing existing financing tools, fostering active cooperation with other regional structures, and reviving traditions of water conservation among Central Asian peoples. He also expressed hope for the restoration of Kyrgyzstan’s full participation in the fund’s work.
Cooperation with Afghanistan was emphasized separately: The president stressed the need to attract international donor funds for shoreline reinforcement and reclamation works in Afghanistan and proposed that in the future, a regional legal framework for water distribution be formed, considering the rights and obligations of all Aral Sea basin countries, including Afghanistan.
Concluding his address, Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed hope for support of Uzbekistan’s initiatives to declare 2026–2036 as the “Decade of Practical Actions for Rational Water Use in Central Asia” and to hold regular Water Weeks in the region. He invited meeting participants to attend the World Water Conservation Forum scheduled for late September in Samarkand.
Source: www.gazeta.uz