President Mirziyoyev proposes ban on highly flammable materials in building exteriors

The proposal was made during a meeting held on 1 December, where the president reviewed environmental sustainability measures, waste processing initiatives, fire safety, and winter preparedness reports from relevant agencies.

At the start of the meeting, the head of state heard a report from a special commission tasked with improving environmental conditions in Tashkent. Officials outlined ongoing efforts to combat air pollution, identify and eliminate pollution sources, and implement stabilization measures such as inspecting greenhouses and construction sites, controlling vehicle emissions, shutting down illegal operations, and increasing street washing and canal cleaning across the city.

Mirziyoyev instructed officials to maintain these measures not only in the capital but throughout the regions, ensure rapid responses to identified violations, and keep all pollution-generating activities under strict oversight.

The president also reviewed progress on waste-to-energy projects worth $933 million underway in six regions – Andijan, Namangan, Fergana, Samarkand, Kashkadarya and Tashkent. However, he noted that other regions have shown insufficient progress, while investors in existing projects still lack proper access to infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water. Regional authorities and the National Ecology Committee were tasked with correcting deficiencies and launching similar projects nationwide next year.

Uzbekistan aims to reduce household waste landfills by 50 percent by 2030. Although 47 landfills have been closed and rehabilitated in recent years, returning 243 hectares of land to nature, most of the remaining 132 sites still lack protective walls, green belts, water supply and basic environmental safety structures. The president stressed the need to transform landfills into environmentally safe areas and emphasised the priority of gaining public trust and satisfaction.

Officials were instructed to repurpose rehabilitated landfill sites for green spaces and investment projects, and to create green belts around all existing landfills. Half of the planting work must be completed in spring and the remaining half in autumn. Starting from 2026, the state budget will allocate at least UZS 150 billion annually for these efforts.

The meeting also highlighted progress in processing industrial and hazardous waste, which has reached 4.5 percent after being neglected for many years. Authorities were told to audit all sites where such waste is generated or stored, launch at least one recycling or disposal project per location, and introduce a unified digital monitoring platform for hazardous waste oversight.

Additional issues were raised regarding shortcomings in the supply of subsidized liquefied gas and cases of misuse. The president ordered Hududgaztaminot to eliminate these problems by working directly with communities, and directed energy agencies to inspect ageing electricity grids and overloaded transformers to ensure stable performance during winter.

Investigations revealed poor-quality repairs across 1,800 kilometers of power lines. The Prosecutor General’s Office will examine these violations, while Energoinspektsiya has been instructed to strengthen supervision and shift to an emergency-response mode. Ensuring uninterrupted energy supply to the population during the winter season remains a key priority.

Fire safety received particular attention. With over 44,000 multi-storey buildings nationwide, the president stressed the need for comprehensive assessments and full readiness of emergency services. He underscored that the time has come to embed strict fire-safety requirements in legislation, specifically banning the use of highly flammable façade materials. A draft law aligning construction standards and fire-safety rules with international practices, and increasing accountability for responsible officials, will be prepared.

The meeting also addressed the coordination of municipal services and emergency responses. Based on Tashkent’s recent experience, new working groups will be established across other regions, municipal services will be linked to the Emergency Ministry’s dispatch system, and household-level preventive inspections will be strengthened.