Uzbekistan Aims to Save up to 3.5 Billion Cubic Meters of Water Annually Through Drip Irrigation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 3 February, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on efficient water resource management and the broader implementation of water-saving technologies in Uzbekistan.

Currently, water-saving technologies are used on 2.6 million hectares of irrigated land, accounting for 60% of the total irrigated area. By comparison, before 2017, such technologies were applied on only 19,000 hectares. These measures currently save around 2.5 billion cubic meters of water annually.

New proposals were discussed to further expand the program. By 2028, water-saving technologies are planned to be implemented on an additional 930,000 hectares, bringing the total area to 3.5 million hectares, or 80% of irrigated land. These measures are expected to save up to 3.5 billion cubic meters of water per year, improve irrigation on 300,000 hectares, and ensure watering of second crops.

Saved water resources will be prioritized for farmers in regions with limited water supply. To support this, new state mechanisms will provide subsidies for adopting water-saving technologies, with rates adjusted according to land water availability. On lands with unstable water supply, subsidies will be increased by a coefficient of 1.25.

A system will also support farmers implementing water-saving technologies at their own expense without loans. Under this system, 50% of the subsidy will be advanced by the Agency for Payments in the Agrarian Sector based on project documentation and contractor agreements. Subsidies will also cover plots using drip or discrete irrigation for grain cultivation.

Partial reimbursement of interest on commercial bank loans for purchasing and installing water-saving systems is planned, with credit for drip irrigation on cotton fields provided annually starting in November. Contractors installing water-saving systems must provide at least a 2-year warranty and 5 years of service maintenance.

State control will be strengthened through “smart” water meters integrated with the “Suv Hisobi” information system, monitoring water use on rice fields and fish farms. Departments for water-saving technologies and water-use monitoring will be established within regional offices of the Water Facilities Safety Inspection. Inspections will utilize body cameras and drones to monitor water consumption and field losses. Misuse of traditional irrigation methods on subsidized plots with water-saving systems will be treated as unauthorized water use.

Farmers will be exempt from state fees for lawsuits filed by the Inspection or its regional offices regarding water-saving technology compliance.

The President emphasized the need to enhance human resources in water management. Under the “Water Professionals School” project, 10,000 farm employees will undergo training in 2026, and 358 water management specialists will be sent abroad to learn advanced practices.

President Mirziyoyev instructed responsible agencies to systematically implement the proposed measures, ensure effective adoption of water-saving technologies, and strengthen workforce capacity, enabling sustainable agricultural production while rationally using water resources.