Tashkent Builder Ordered to Pay 2.22 Billion Soums for Pollution

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Tashkent Main Department of Ecology and Climate Change has completed an investigation into the illegal discharge of liquid waste into the Salar Canal. Following the investigation, construction company B.B. LLC was ordered to pay more than 2.22 billion soums in environmental compensation.

The investigation was launched after reports circulated on social media that a sewer pipeline had been damaged during construction work on Shota Rustaveli Street, causing wastewater to flow into the Salar Canal.

According to the findings, construction of a multi-storey residential building in the Yakkasaray district damaged part of the city's sewer network, resulting in the collapse of a section of the pipeline. The accumulated liquid waste was pumped out without any treatment using special pumps and discharged directly into the canal.

Specialists from the Main Department of Ecology's analytical laboratory collected wastewater samples. Tests conducted by the National Environmental Monitoring Centre under the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change found significant exceedances of permissible pollution levels.

Petroleum product concentrations exceeded the permitted limit by 5.02 times, ammonium nitrogen by 43.5 times, chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 4.9 times, and suspended solids by 13.6 times.

Analysis of contaminated soil also found residual petroleum products ranging from 2.6 to 11.4 milligrams per kilogram.

According to the Tashkent Canal Operations and Adjacent Area Maintenance Department, 63,936 cubic metres of liquid waste were discharged into the Salar Canal without the required permits. For violations of the Law on Nature Protection and the Water Code, compensation for damage to water resources was assessed at 2 billion 160 million 13 thousand 824 soums.

The investigation also found soil contamination caused by the accident and wastewater discharge. Laboratory tests showed that the average concentration of petroleum products in the soil exceeded the permissible level by 5.2 times. An additional 60 million 27 thousand 81 soums in compensation was assessed for violations of environmental legislation and the Land Code.

The total amount of compensation payable by B.B. LLC was set at 2 billion 220 million 40 thousand 905 soums.