World Bank Document

energy and water, which raises concerns of long-term sustainability. Uzbekistan is one of the 

most energy intensive economies in the world. Its energy infrastructure is inadequate to meet 

current demand, while prices below long-run supply costs continue to contribute to significant 

inefficiencies. Water efficiency is similarly very low and requires better pricing based on reliable 

data. Aside from the environmental consequences of desertification and salinization, water scarcity 

is becoming a binding constraint to growth in irrigated agriculture. Public health is also starting to 

be adversely affected as water supplies dry up during the summer, particularly in downstream 

oblasts. 

22. 

Fourth, as pointed out in the SCD, Uzbekistan’s governance system presents several