President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the corresponding decree on March 11, according to the Uzbek Ministry of Justice. Effective from May 1, 2024, this decree will impose an indefinite prohibition on the extraction of non-metallic materials from the Syrdarya River bed, while also introducing stricter penalties for environmental harm caused by the unauthorized extraction of such materials.
Furthermore, the Ministry mentioned that measures will be undertaken to reinforce the banks of the Syrdarya River and restore damaged lands in the surrounding coastal areas.
This decision follows discussions held in December 2023 in Astana during a meeting of the Kazakh-Uzbek joint working group, where issues related to coordinated monitoring of water quality in the Syrdarya River basin, identification of potential pollution sources, and implementation of measures to mitigate their impact were addressed.
