Senator Demands Action Over Decade-Long Flooding in Karakalpakstan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A senior member of Uzbekistan's Senate has formally petitioned the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan over chronic waterlogging in the Sarishungil mahalla of Khojeli district, following on-the-ground inspections that revealed a drainage infrastructure failure stretching back nearly ten years.

Senator Oral Ataniyazova, Deputy Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Science, Education and Healthcare of the Oliy Majlis, filed the parliamentary inquiry after community meetings and field surveys confirmed the steady intrusion of wastewater into the residential area. According to inspection findings, the local drainage collector has not functioned effectively for approximately a decade, while roughly six kilometers of drainage network have become partially overgrown with vegetation, severely disrupting water runoff.

Standing water levels at certain points within the mahalla have reached 10 to 20 centimeters, causing partial damage to residential building foundations and deteriorating the structural condition of homes across the area.

While specialists stopped short of classifying the situation as a full-scale flood, they flagged significant ongoing risks: further groundwater rise, progressive waterlogging of the territory, and potential damage to social infrastructure assets.

The stakes are considerable. The affected mahalla is home to 6,906 residents across 1,658 families in 1,265 apartments. It also hosts School No. 6, which serves 1,091 students, and Kindergarten No. 15, attended by 150 children — making the degraded drainage network a public health and safety concern that extends well beyond residential property damage.

The senatorial inquiry calls on responsible authorities to provide a concrete account of planned measures across four areas: construction of a protective embankment, rehabilitation of the drainage system, construction of hydraulic engineering structures, and improvement of road infrastructure within the mahalla. Officials also highlighted that any infrastructure modernization must account for the area's expanding residential development.

No response timeline from the Council of Ministers was specified in the filing.