On April 30, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation of proposals for environmental protection, ensuring environmental sustainability, improving the waste management system, and developing protected natural areas.
In recent years, large-scale work has been carried out in our country to protect the environment, rationally use natural resources, implement "green" economy principles, and increase ecological culture. At the same time, the rapid development of industry, construction, transport, and utilities requires strict control over environmental factors and the further strengthening of compliance with environmental requirements. During the presentation, violations in the environmental sphere were analyzed. As noted, while more than 47,000 administrative offenses were identified in 2024, their number exceeded 59,000 in 2025. Due to the disproportion of fines provided by the current procedure to the environmental damage caused, some enterprises find it more profitable to continue their activities by paying a fine than to eliminate violations.
In this regard, it was proposed to revise financial sanctions against legal entities, ensure their proportionality to the amount of damage caused to nature, and bring them closer to the norms used in international practice. In particular, it is planned to introduce effective financial liability measures for illegal extraction of non-metallic materials from riverbeds, pollution of water resources, illegal felling of trees and shrubs, exceeding permissible emissions into the atmosphere, allowing dust and sand particles from construction sites to rise into the air, as well as burning waste in undesignated places.
Thus, it is proposed to combine administrative fines and compensation payments for damage caused to nature into a single financial sanction, as well as to introduce a practice according to which in cases where an enterprise admits guilt, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change will have the right to independently apply the sanction, and if disputes arise, the matter will be considered and resolved in court. During the presentation, proposals for restoring the natural balance of the Ugam River and preserving its unique natural heritage were also considered. Ugam and the basin of this river are among the important ecological territories within the Ugam-Chatkal National Nature Park. It is home to dozens of rare species of flora and fauna, including those listed in the Red Data Book. In addition, the river plays a major role in the water supply of the Chirchiq River basin.
According to research, in recent years, there has been a decrease in water consumption in the Ugam River, as well as an increase in factors affecting water quality. This situation threatens coastal erosion, has a negative impact on aquatic fauna and flora, and increases the risk of biodiversity decline. In this regard, it was proposed to declare the Ugam River and its adjacent territories a state hydrological natural monument, as well as to limit construction and earthworks in coastal and water protection zones that affect the natural hydrological system. In addition, tasks have been set to inventory objects located in water protection zones and evaluate their impact on water quality and biodiversity. The issue of terminating or relocating activities that do not meet environmental requirements will be considered.
Along with this, it is planned to develop a master plan "Improving the ecosystem of the Ugam River," aimed at the sustainable development of its hydrological and ecological state. To prevent land degradation, it is planned to plant trees and shrubs in coastal and water protection zones. The work in the field of waste management was also analyzed. In 2025, the coverage of sanitary cleaning services by mahalla reached 88 percent. The sphere has been equipped with specialized machinery, scooters, and containers; the territory around 132 landfills has been landscaped, and the activities of 47 landfills have been suspended.
This year, it is planned to bring the level of service coverage to 90 percent by supplying additional specialized equipment and containers for sanitary cleaning enterprises, as well as to reclaim 18 landfills. It is planned to reduce the number of landfills by 50 percent by 2030. The importance of reducing logistics costs, increasing the volume of sorting and processing, and reducing the load on landfills through the construction of waste transfer stations was emphasized. It is planned to build 28 such stations in 2026, and 70 by 2030.
Information was also provided on the implementation of large investment projects for the production of electricity by burning household waste. Six plants with a total value of 933 million dollars are being built in Andijan, Namangan, Fergana, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, and Tashkent regions. After their commissioning, it is planned to process 3.6 million tons of solid household waste annually and produce 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Instructions were given to begin preparations for the next stage—the construction of another 5 plants worth 633 million dollars.
It was proposed to create the first integrated platform for hazardous waste management in the CIS. Within the framework of this investment project, which is planned to be implemented in the Navoi region, it is planned to introduce a laboratory classification system for hazardous waste, physicochemical and thermal processing, create a specialized landfill, and produce RDF fuel from waste.
The cost of the project is $260 million, and a capacity for processing 330 thousand tons of hazardous waste per year will be created. The implementation of the project will contribute to ensuring environmental sustainability, introducing new standards and advanced technologies, and developing the region's human resource potential. It was noted that if in 2017 the volume of construction waste amounted to 1.2 million tons, then in 2025 it will reach 1.9 million tons. In this regard, it was proposed to create a digital platform that ensures full control of construction waste from its formation to its disposal, real-time monitoring of waste movement using GPS, and the organization of waste sorting and processing complexes at landfills.
It is also planned to introduce a mandatory requirement to fulfill the terms of waste disposal contracts when accepting construction projects. In addition, it is planned to identify cases of illegal waste disposal using photo and video recording and to strengthen liability measures for such violations. Projects for the development of protected natural areas and the preservation of unique flora and fauna were also reviewed at the presentation. In particular, it is planned to strengthen the protection of the territory of the "Yazyavan" natural monument, which is part of the Fergana National Nature Park, create a dendrological garden, as well as strengthen control through observation towers, special drones and digital monitoring systems.
It is planned to create a visitor reception center, walking tourist routes, birdwatching areas, as well as photo zones and panoramic areas. In addition, it is planned to organize scientific and educational excursions. Proposals for creating ecotourism facilities within the "Ovzhassay - Sinegorye" National Nature Park were also reviewed. Within the framework of the initiative, special attention will be paid to the formation of convenient infrastructure for tourists while preserving natural landscapes and mountain ecosystems.
During the presentation, issues of preparation for the "ECO EXPO Central Asia 2026" international exhibition and the 8th Assembly of the Global Environment Facility in Samarkand this year were also discussed. The Global Environment Facility is a major international financial institution uniting 186 member countries. Uzbekistan joined it in 1995. Holding the Assembly in Samarkand will be the first large-scale environmental forum of this scale in the region of Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is expected that 2,500 representatives from 186 countries, 40 donor countries, more than 50 authoritative environmental organizations, as well as international experts will participate.
The "ECO EXPO Central Asia 2026" exhibition will contribute to expanding cooperation between domestic industry, khokimiyats, international financial institutions, suppliers of innovative "green" technologies, and investors. The Head of State approved the proposals and gave specific instructions to strengthen control and responsibility in the field of nature protection, introduce modern waste management systems, preserve water resources and biodiversity, and develop protected natural areas on a scientific basis.
