On July 30, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a law approving the updated Water Code , which will come into force on October 31.

The Water Code systematizes and unifies the provisions of current laws and by-laws, including the Law on Water and Water Use, as well as 8 decrees and 14 resolutions of the President and the Government. It consists of 6 sections, 29 chapters and 165 articles.

In developing the code, the experience of legal regulation of water relations in Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Australia, Vietnam and Germany was studied .

The new law regulates relations in the field of use and protection of water, water bodies, water management facilities and water fund lands. The document stipulates that water is a national wealth, is subject to rational use and is protected by the state.

According to the code:

  • water use is divided into general and special;
  • The categories of water bodies include surface and groundwater of Uzbekistan, as well as transboundary water bodies located in the country and crossing its territory;
  • The powers to manage water resources are vested in: the Ministry of Water Management (surface water) and the Ministry of Mining and Geology (groundwater);
  • the Republican Water Council under the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as basin and territorial water councils, are being created;
  • water fund lands are transferred to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Water Management and its divisions;
  • Water bodies can be transferred for permanent or temporary use, including on the basis of public-private partnership agreements (the period of temporary use is from 3 to 49 years).

General water use includes water intake for personal drinking and domestic needs, bathing, kayaking and non-motorized boating, livestock watering, sport and amateur fishing. Such use is free and without permits in the manner established by this Code and other legislative acts.

In addition, the conditions for obtaining permits are being simplified: the requirement for water intake from artificial reservoirs in the amount of up to 5 cubic meters per day is being cancelled, and opportunities for involving the private sector in the management of water management facilities are being expanded, including the sale of small pumping stations and wells (with a water intake capacity of up to 1 cubic meter per second) at auctions.

Mechanisms for distributing water among water users are also being introduced, as well as a system for issuing long-term water quotas. A separate article is devoted to water easements – a limited right to use a water body or part of it (for example, for general water use, passage of citizens and transport, watering animals and driving cattle, ensuring free access to the coastal zone, including its crossing).

Fines are provided for violation of water use regulations:

  • for exceeding water intake limits – 20% of the basic calculated value (BCV) for every 1000 cubic meters;
  • for water intake without a signed contract – 30% of the BRV;
  • for water intake without metering devices – 5% of the BRV;
  • for water intake without a special permit – 40% of the BRV;
  • for unauthorized water intake – 30% of the BRV.

In case of repeated violation within a year, the sanctions are increased fivefold.

Water fund lands, including territories of natural water sources (rivers, streams, ravines, lakes, swamps and springs), are transferred to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Water Management and its territorial divisions.

According to the code, for violation of the water intake procedure, the offender will be obliged to restore illegally constructed water intake structures at his own expense.

The water supply fee is intended to cover the costs of organizing the water supply, including operating and administrative costs, costs for future modernization of the water supply infrastructure, and to ensure the profitability of organizing the water supply.

The document introduces conditions for the application of public-private partnership mechanisms in the water sector, new definitions of the concepts of “extreme low water” and “drought”, as well as mechanisms for distributing irrigation water between consumers.

Extreme low water is a period when the water level of a water source is 50% or less of the long-term (at least 30 years) norm. Drought is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the amount of precipitation is significantly lower than normal recorded levels, which causes a serious disruption of the hydrological balance, adversely affecting the productivity of land resources.

The Ministry of Water Management is determined as the authorized body for the coordination of the state water cadastre.

The priority of water use in economic sectors is established in the following sequence:

  • drinking and household needs, as well as medical needs of the population;
  • sanitary and environmental purposes;
  • industry, energy and services;
  • agriculture, fish farming, livestock farming, poultry farming, private household plots, with priority given to water supply to areas where water-saving irrigation technologies have been implemented.

When using water, the needs of hydropower are given equal priority to the needs of agriculture.

The code specifies the powers, duties and functions of the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries and departments, local governments in the sphere of regulation of water relations, and sets out the conditions for the implementation of public-private partnership mechanisms in the sphere of water management. The conditions for issuing permits for water use are simplified.

The Code stipulates that water is a national asset subject to state protection. The use of a water body for wastewater discharge is permitted only in compliance with environmental and sanitary requirements and conditions.

The Cabinet of Ministers shall establish a Republican Water Council chaired by the Prime Minister, as well as basin and district water councils under the leadership of regional and district khokims, respectively. The Republican Council shall include heads of competent ministries and departments in the sphere of water resource use and protection. It may also include representatives of non-governmental organizations, individual experts and scientists.

The Ministry of Water Management, the Ministry of Mining and Geology and other authorized bodies will conduct state monitoring of water resources.

According to the code, water bodies can be transferred for permanent or temporary use, including on the basis of public-private partnership agreements. The period of temporary use of a water body must be no less than 3 years and no more than 49 years.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agrarian, Water Management and Ecology Anvar Tuychiev noted in his speech at the plenary session of the upper house of parliament on March 17 that almost 90% of fresh water used in the country is used in agriculture, and at the same time, water consumption per hectare is 2-2.5 times higher than the same indicator in technologically advanced countries (the world average is about 65%).

He also spoke about the deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure, which causes water losses when it is supplied to the fields. Anvar Tuychiev noted that by 2030, Uzbekistan may experience a water deficit of 7 billion cubic meters, and the country risks being included in the list of 33 countries with an acute shortage of water resources.

Today, the thickness of the snow cover in the mountains is significantly below normal – only 40-60%.

“Considering that only 15-18% of the water used in the country is generated within the territory of the republic itself, we are obliged to fundamentally revise the water management policy and take short-term and medium-term measures to ensure the sustainability of water resources,” the senator stated.

https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2025/08/19/water-code/

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