Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

IRRIGATED LAND  1999
7600
7800
8000
8200
8400
8600
2020
2015
2010
2005
2000
1995
1990
DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATED LAND
OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS THE AREA OF CULTIVATED LAND PER CAPITA 
HAS REDUCED BY
1000ha
Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
30%
20%
15%
15%
9%
optimistic
intermediate
business as usual
SCENARIOS:
cultivated 
land
irrigated 
land
Figure 3.6. 
Trends 
of changes of areas 
of irrigated land in 
Central Asia countries 
(I. Atamuradova, 
V. Yemelin, 
P. Rekacewicz, UNEP/
GRID-Arendal)

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30 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
The  groundwater  resources  of  Uzbekistan  are  24 km
3
. The 
ground water of the Aral Sea basin, including the territory of Uz bek-
istan, is formed from precipitation as well as filtration from water 
reser voirs, riverbeds, canals, lakes, and irrigated areas. Presently, 
there  are  95  deposits  of  ground  water  in  the  Republic.  Recycled 
water resources include collected drainage and wastewater. While 
con sti tuting a large share of water resources, at the same time it is 
a serious source of pollution. The Tuyamuyun, Chardara, Karakum, 
Charvak,  and  Andijan  reservoirs  are  the  largest  artificial  water 
faci lities in Uzbekistan. They were built to regulate seasonal river 
runoff, accumulate water for irrigation periods, as well as to prevent 
flooding. At the edge of irrigated areas, in natural depressions and 
reliefs,  lakes  are  formed  from  water  overflow.  The  lakes  of  the 
Arnasay and Sarykamish systems, in their current dimensions, were 
formed by water drainage from reservoirs. Irrigated farming utilizes 
more than 90% of the region’s available water resources. 
The massive expansion of irrigated agriculture in the 
1960s–1980s for cotton production has caused major alterations to 
the  runoff  regime  with  well-known  consequences  for  the  deltaic 
ecosystems and the Aral Sea. Today irrigated agriculture accounts 
for 90% of crop yields and consumes over 92% of the total water 
intake.  About  64%  of  the  population  of  Uzbekistan  live  in  rural 
areas and are thus directly or indirectly dependent on irrigated 
agri culture. In the future the demand for water will grow even 
more in order to maintain the food security of a rapidly increasing 
population
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.