Current challenges in the field of water management were discussed

On December 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was reported on the work being done in the water sector to improve energy efficiency, develop scientific potential and strengthen international cooperation.

Plans have been considered to replace outdated and energy-intensive pumping units with modern and energy-efficient ones.

For example, in the Republic of Karakalpakstan there are 274 pumping stations, through which more than 185 thousand hectares of land are irrigated. More than half of the pumping units at the stations consist of equipment manufactured after 1979, and their energy consumption is 2-3 times higher than that of modern pumps.

After replacing one of the outdated units in the Kegeyli district with modern energy-efficient equipment, electricity consumption was reduced by half.

Based on this positive experience, a phased replacement is planned 276 pumps in Karakalpakstan for modern energy-efficient units. As a result, annual energy savings equivalent to 25 billion soums are expected, and the payback period of the project will be 14 months.

The importance of supporting local producers in this process is indicated.

Information on the achieved results and future plans of the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation is also provided. As noted, there are currently 8,682 students studying at the university, 571 teachers working, and the level of scientific potential is 73.5 percent.

The university has achieved high results in international rankings, taking 501st place in the world in the “THE World University Rankings 2026”, 2nd place among the countries of Central Asia and Transcaucasia and 1st place in Uzbekistan, and also rising to 469th place according to the results of “QS World University Rankings 2026”.

Last year, a modern IT center with 200 seats was built on the territory of the university, a digital library and a registrar's office were launched. The university has passed international accreditation for a five-year period. The educational process involves compatriots who graduated from universities in the world's top 300, as well as foreign professors.

In the future, it is planned to create a national platform based on digital technologies for analyzing climate change, constructing space observation stations on the university territory and developing infrastructure for receiving satellite data.

In addition, the university will open a master’s program “Water Diplomacy”, It is planned to assign this specialty international status. The head of our state instructed to develop specific measures to include the Tashkent Irrigation University among the top 300 best universities in the world.

During the presentation, special attention was also paid to issues of international cooperation.

As noted, in the past months, Tashkent hosted the first Central Asian conference dedicated to drinking water supply and sanitation services, as well as an international conference on the occasion entry into force of the Water Code.

It was noted that, as a logical continuation of these events, Tashkent International Water Week is planned to be held in March next year. The forum will become a platform for strengthening cooperation with international institutions and countries of the region, dialogue on issues of rational use of water resources and the introduction of “green” technologies.

Instructions were given for organizing this event at a high level and thoroughly preparing for the international forum dedicated to water-saving technologies in the Aral Sea region, which will also be held next year.