Around 1,000 Trees Illegally Cut Down in Bulungur District

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In Bulungur District of the Samarkand region, approximately one thousand trees were cut down during the concreting of the Aktepa canal, according to the program Zamon on Sevimli TV.

The canal, which stretches over 23 kilometers, was temporarily closed for concreting works, during which mature trees along the neighborhoods of Kildon, Uroqli, Gulzor, and Mingchinor were felled.

Rasul Kusherbayev, Advisor to the Chairman of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, visited the district and noted that despite an existing moratorium on tree cutting, poplars, willows, mulberries, and walnut trees were destroyed. “This is happening against the backdrop of acute water shortages in the country and declining underground and groundwater levels. Once planted, it is difficult for a tree to reach full maturity, so the damage to nature is enormous. At a time when preserving greenery and clean air is especially important, cutting down such trees appears as sheer barbarism,” he emphasized.

According to local residents, some of the cutting work was instructed by the canal management, claiming it was carried out based on a presidential decree.

The felled trees were left with residents, with half of the proceeds allegedly demanded to be transferred to the management of the Mirza-Pay irrigation system.

Rasul Kusherbayev reported on his Telegram channel that tree felling along the canal has been suspended, while ecologists continue to assess the situation.