In our country, only 20% of water resources are formed in our country, the rest is in the territory of neighboring states. As a result of climate change, water sources are decreasing year after year. The situation regarding the management of transboundary rivers remains difficult. According to forecasts, by 2030, the water shortage in our country could reach 15 billion cubic meters.
However, even in such conditions, water is used irrationally. 90% of water resources are spent on agriculture. For example, 10-11 thousand cubic meters of water are spent per year to irrigate 1 hectare of cotton field, while in countries with similar climate and soil it is 2-3 times less. And all this is achieved through proper water management and preventing their loss.
The head of state noted that the coming year will be a period of transition to an emergency mode of operation to save water.
In this case, the primary task is concreting canals and ditches. It is estimated that on average 14 billion cubic meters or 36% of water is lost per year in natural cover irrigation systems without any economic benefit. The largest number of losses occurs in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Namangan, Navoi, Khorezm and Bukhara regions. In the 175 thousand hectares of cultivated areas located at the end of the canals, the situation with water supply is very difficult.
Overall, the economy loses $5 billion in revenue per year as a result of water loss.
In this regard, the water sector has declared a “high-impact year for canal concreting.” The task has been set to concrete 1,500 kilometers next year, that is, 4 times more channels than this year. In 2025, at least 2 thousand kilometers of canals will have to be concreted.
It is emphasized that the most optimal time for this is the months from November to March. Therefore, we need to start building canals with ready-made projects now. Governors of regions and districts were instructed to convert 3 thousand 500 kilometers of internal irrigation systems to concrete pavements in one year. It was noted that by providing special equipment and construction materials to clusters and farmers interested in this, costs can be halved.
The second important task is to introduce water-saving technologies.
