live WUF13 opening ceremony held in Baku as global forum advances sustainable urban development
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the of...
The World Bank has approved a $200 million concessional credit to help Uzbekistan modernize its irrigation and drainage infrastructure, aiming to cut water losses and improve energy efficiency across five regions.
Uzbekistan will receive $200 million in concessional credit from the World Bank to modernize its aging irrigation and drainage systems. The initiative, focused on Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Namangan, and Surkhandarya regions, seeks to reduce water losses, enhance energy efficiency, and improve the quality of irrigation service delivery. The Government of Uzbekistan will contribute an additional $23.2 million in co-financing, with the Ministry of Water Resources responsible for project implementation.
The project involves large-scale upgrades to eight major primary canals linked to the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. These include laying modern concrete and geomembrane linings over 259 kilometers of canals, reshaping and elevating canal beds to enable gravity-fed water supply and minimize the need for pumping, and building approximately 470 hydraulic structures to strengthen water control. In addition, the project will introduce flow-regulated outlets equipped with meters and a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for automated monitoring and management.
As a result of the project, irrigation service delivery is expected to improve across 232,000 hectares of farmland, boosting agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change. Around 180,000 water users, including 80,000 women, are expected to directly benefit from more reliable irrigation services. Furthermore, the project is projected to reduce annual water losses by 540 million cubic meters and cut electricity consumption by over 165 million kilowatt-hours, significantly lowering operational costs and enhancing the sustainability of water use in Uzbekistan.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, an economist, public policy analyst, Columbia University professor, and UN advisor, said Azerbaijan and the wider South Caucasus could become one of the world’s key strategic connectors in an emerging multipolar order.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
Uzbekistan has reported new fraud cases linked to employment in South Korea as investigators continue examining a wider migration corruption scheme estimated to have caused up to $90 million in losses.
When 36 nations signed up to prosecute Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Georgia - a country partly occupied by Russia - declined to join. Tbilisi blamed strained relations with the EU. Critics blamed the government itself.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are negotiating summer water allocations as rising temperatures, agricultural demand and pressure on shared rivers intensify water security concerns across Central Asia.
A new documentary by AnewZ Investigations titled 'Target Yerevan' is set to premiere in Baku soon, examining allegations surrounding former International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, Armenian lobbying networks, and wider political influence campaigns.
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanitation conditions and mounting waste deepen the humanitarian crisis across overcrowded camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment