Uzbekistan has launched an urgent environmental reform package after recent air-quality data revealed serious pollution problems, particularly in Tashkent
The data also revealed heightened human impact on air cleanliness across the country.
Approximately 40% of airborne dust in Tashkent comes from anthropogenic sources - industrial emissions, transport, and human activity - while the remaining 60 % is natural dust.
The findings alarmed top officials, prompting a response from the highest levels of government.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed environmental and regional authorities to intensify emission control, enforce stricter air-quality standards, and accelerate green-space creation.
The initiative applies not only to the capital, but to all regions of the country.
As part of the reform, construction has started on six waste-to-energy complexes, aimed at both waste disposal and electricity generation.
The total value of these projects is $933 million. Authorities have also closed 47 old landfills, reclaiming a total of 243 hectares of land to be returned to nature.
Most of the remaining 132 active waste sites lack proper infrastructure - no protective fencing, water supply, green belts, or environmental safeguards.
The government has tasked regional administrations, together with the National Ecology Committee, to fix existing problems and launch new projects in all regions by 2026.
From 2026, the state will allocate 150 billion UZS ($12,5 billion) annually to create green belts around former and current landfills. Trees and vegetation will serve as natural buffers, reducing dust and improving air quality.
The reform also aims at broader ecological changes: rehabilitating irrigation canals, limiting emissions from factories and greenhouses (including installing filters at a greenhouse in Kibray that burns 150 kg of coal daily), and setting up a national system for tracking and disposing hazardous waste. The goal is to transform landfills into “environmentally safe zones” and link environmental policy with industrial and energy planning.
According to the head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva, this is not only a waste-management update but a long-term shift in environmental culture and sustainability across Uzbekistan.
Ten EU countries, led by Italy and Poland, have urged the European Union to reconsider a new carbon price on fuel as part of a wider overhaul of the b...
The Iranian Army's Ground Force promised a crushing response to the U.S. after an air raid on its barracks in the southern city of Bampur on Wednesday...
The European Union (EU) has announced an additional €20 million ($22.8 million) in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela after last month's deadly e...
The European Union (EU) has announced an additional €20 million ($22.8 million) in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela after last month's deadly earthquakes, which killed more than 4,700 people.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
India's investigation into last year's Air India crash that killed 260 people has entered its final stages, with investigators completing a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and carrying out a psychological autopsy as they work towards a final report.
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than efforts to contain it, global humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned, calling for an urgent expansion of containment and care measures.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The Iranian Army's Ground Force promised a crushing response to the U.S. after an air raid on its barracks in the southern city of Bampur on Wednesday (15 July) killed seven servicemen and wounded 13 others.
A British inquiry has heard fresh allegations that UK special forces killed three Afghan farmers and abused detainees during operations in Afghanistan. The claims were published this week as part of an investigation into alleged unlawful killings and a possible cover-up.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun installing the first border markers along their shared frontier, marking the start of the physical demarcation of a boundary that was disputed for decades before being formally settled under a landmark agreement signed earlier this year.
The condition of cultural heritage sites in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region remains a major point of debate after decades of conflict. Despite Azerbaijan’s calls for a UNESCO assessment and post-2020 negotiations, disagreements over access, scope and the mission’s framework have prevented a review.
The four-year truce that helped stabilise Yemen appears to have collapsed after the Houthi movement fired missiles at Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under its control. The escalation raises fears of a wider regional conflict.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment