On September 27-28, 2024, an exchange visit of the Uzbek-Kazakhstan Joint Working Group (Commission) on environmental protection and water quality in the Syrdarya River Basin took place in Chirchik, Tashkent and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The event was organized by the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) within the framework of the Blue Peace Central Asia Initiative funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) with support of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Within the framework of the exchange visit, the Commission visited key facilities and enterprises related to environmental monitoring and water quality. In Tashkent, the participants familiarized themselves with the activities of the Situation Center under the Hokimiyat of Tashkent city. The center collects and analyzes information from various sources, including geographical, cadastral and statistical data, which allows to solve both operational and strategic tasks of city management more effectively. There were demonstrated platforms that allow real-time monitoring of environmental indicators such as data.meteo.uz – a unified portal for meteorological observations, and monitoring.meteo.uz – a portal for monitoring the quality of atmospheric air.
The delegation also visited “Maxam-Chirchiq” JSC, one of the largest enterprises of chemical industry in Uzbekistan. The participants of the visit familiarized themselves with the system of automated monitoring of emissions and discharges at the enterprise, as well as with the laboratory that measures water and air quality. This visit became an important opportunity for exchange of experience between specialists of the two countries in the field of environmental monitoring and state control.
The next day, the participants of the exchange visit traveled to Samarkand, where they visited the Regional Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, as well as the treatment facilities of “Samarkandsuvtaaminot” company. During the visit, the delegation familiarized themselves with the water quality monitoring system and the implemented technologies for wastewater treatment.
This exchange visit played a key role in strengthening bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the field of environmental protection and water resources management. During the meeting, it was noted that the two countries have similar plans and objectives, and that the exchange of experience could become an important step in the development of regional environmental initiatives.
Additional information:
Tais Reznikova – Program Manager of CAREC’s “Water Initiatives Support” Program, treznikova@carececo.org
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The Blue Peace Central Asia Initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC).
The Uzbek-Kazakhstan Joint Commission on Environmental Protection and Water Quality in the Syr Darya River Basin was established in September 2018 under the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Cooperation in Environmental Protection and Sustainable Natural Resource Use, as well as the Economic Cooperation Strategy between the two governments.
The Blue Peace Central Asia Initiative has supported six meetings of the Commission. During its operation, the Parties have agreed upon and approved a list of 28 indicators for joint monitoring of the water quality in the Syr Darya River and the methodologies for their measurements. Additionally, an exchange of encrypted samples, a sampling schedule taking into account water travel time, and the procedures for conducting coordinated monitoring and exchanging information (data) on water quality were agreed upon and approved. The Commission’s Joint Action Plan is approved annually.
