Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The economical use of water resources, in particular rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals, collectors and other water bodies, is very important to meet the needs of the agricultural sector, as well as other water consumers.

At the next meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on 21 August 2020, the deputies raised this topical issue. This is no coincidence. Because the studies and analysis carried out by people's representatives show that, despite the work carried out in this area, the measures to establish water protection zones of water bodies, the organization of control in these territories is in an unsatisfactory state.

In particular, 3 rivers in Surkhandarya region - Tupolang, Sangardak, and Sherabad, Uchkizil reservoir, rivers Zominsuv, Nuraksoy and Khojamushkensoy in Jizzakh region, 9 lakes in Bukhara region, 14 small rivers and other reservoirs in Namangan region not fully defined. A similar situation can be observed on the example of reservoirs in other regions.

As the deputies noted, the absence of water protection zones (clear boundaries) of water bodies limits the ability of the people's representatives to effectively control them. At the same time, this leads to arbitrary seizure of adjacent land plots, illegal decisions of local government authorities on the allocation of land in water protection zones for other purposes, as well as the emergence of disputes.

In the first six months of 2020 alone, based on the results of raids carried out by the relevant authorities in water protection, coastal areas, 950 violations in this area were revealed in the republic.

A study of 504 enterprises involved in cleaning river beds, mining and processing sand and gravel, revealed that in 170 of them there are violations associated with unauthorized discharge of wastewater into the water basin, illegal extraction of sand and gravel in water protection zones, waste disposal.

Based on the above, the meeting adopted a Resolution on sending a parliamentary request from the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan A. Ramatov "On the state of the work being done to determine the water protection zones of water bodies in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan."