Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An indefinite moratorium on the extraction of non-metallic material in the beds of the Chirchik, Sanzar, Zerafshan, Naryn, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya rivers is being introduced. This is stated in the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan “On measures to streamline the extraction of non-metallic materials in reservoirs.”

According to the document, the extraction of sand and gravel raw materials from river beds, coastal areas and water protection zones will be carried out only through the E-auction electronic trading platform.

During the moratorium period, the fine for damage caused to nature as a result of illegal extraction of sand and gravel mixture from river beds, coastal areas and water protection zones will be increased 10 times. It is also planned to establish a punishment in the form of confiscation of the actual subject of the offense as one of the penalties.

The Ministry of Ecology, together with the State Institution “Safe River”, the Environmental Control Inspectorate and the Inspectorate for the Control of Mining, Geological and Industrial Safety, will control the extraction of sand and gravel mixture from river beds, conduct regular raids and take measures against troublemakers.

In addition, the process of re-licensing sand and gravel mining has been suspended. Previously issued licenses from the State Institution “Safe River” were checked, during which cases of corruption were identified. As a result, licenses issued illegally were revoked. Also of particular importance is the unimpeded creation of new mines, which will stop the rise in sand and gravel prices from rising.

In accordance with the document, the Ministry will implement the following measures:

— strict control over the fulfillment of relevant obligations by all entities engaged in the extraction of ore raw materials in the basins of surface natural reservoirs, coastal areas and water protection zones;

— phased reclamation of degraded lands in river beds, coastal areas and water protection zones;

— restoration, improvement and landscaping of the natural landscape.

In addition, by 2030 it is planned to develop a program of measures to organize mineral deposits and small industrial zones in mountainous and foothill regions. The program is aimed at relocating mining and processing enterprises located in river beds, coastal areas and water protection zones to mountainous and foothill areas or to small industrial zones located near these territories, creating additional small industrial zones and engineering infrastructure in them in order to create conditions for business entities, including the creation of facilities.

It should be noted here that the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change is currently implementing several measures aimed at systematically solving existing environmental problems. In particular, changes were made in the area of waste management, as a result of which a Decree of the head of our state was adopted, aimed at reducing the negative impact of waste on the environmental situation.

By the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan from 31 May 2023, the State Institution “Safe River” was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, after which a number of changes were implemented in the field of river bed protection. In particular, a working group headed by the Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov visited the Zarafshan, Syrdarya, and Chirchik rivers and studied the existing environmental situation. Using a drone and other technical means, images were recorded and the problems were analyzed in detail.

According to available data, in 2019-2022, 103 business entities were engaged in cleaning the bed of the Chirchik River and extracting sand and gravel materials, but currently 40 entities are engaged in this. In the Tashkent region and the city of Tashkent, a business company operates for the extraction of sand and gravel materials. This, in turn, indicates that the number of people involved in cleaning and mining sand and gravel materials in the Chirchik River has decreased by 61.5 percent.

It should be noted that in 2023, the Ministry of Environment, based on requests from the Minister of Environment, filed lawsuits to the courts to cancel the licenses of 12 business entities engaged in mining.

In addition, due to failure to comply with the requirements established by the State Institution “Safe River” for cleaning the bed of the Chirchik River and extracting sand and gravel materials, contracts concluded with three business entities were terminated.

During the control activities carried out by the Ministry, in 303 cases related to the illegal extraction of sand and gravel mixture in river beds throughout the republic, measures were taken against 268 persons in the amount of 68 billion soums, and in 42 cases for damage to the natural environment in the amount of 45 billion soums, the prosecutor’s office opened criminal cases.