Uzbekistan’s water reserves fall by 6.5 billion cubic meters year on year

Speaking on December 10 at a session of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, Minister of Water Resources Shavkat Khamraev presented an update on the implementation of the Water Resources Management and Irrigation Sector Development Program for 2025–2028.

According to the minister, more than 40 billion cubic meters of water were supplied across Uzbekistan in 2025 to support agricultural production. He noted that a combination of advance water storage, the concreting of irrigation canals, and the expanded use of water-efficient technologies had helped achieve tangible water savings nationwide.

However, Khamraev warned that overall water reserves remain lower than a year earlier. Taking into account transboundary reservoirs, Uzbekistan’s current water reserves are 6.5 billion cubic meters below the level recorded during the same period last year. Domestic reservoirs alone hold 2.7 billion cubic meters less water than a year ago, he said.

The minister emphasized that addressing water scarcity has been a major focus of government policy in recent years. Over the past five years, Uzbekistan has allocated UZS 60 trillion from the state budget and attracted $622 million in foreign investment to reform the water management system and promote the efficient use of existing water resources.

As a result of these efforts, by 2025 the total area using water-saving technologies across the country reached 2.6 million hectares, equivalent to about 60 percent of all irrigated land nationwide.

Khamraev said the government would continue implementing structural reforms and expanding modern irrigation practices as part of its long-term strategy to improve water security amid growing pressure on water resources.