Uzbekistan, the most populated Central Asian country with some 35 million people, faces water stress and inefficient water use. In addition, as a major producer of gold and uranium with its rapidly developing mining industry, the country is exposed to increasing environmental and health risks. Among key risks for both Uzbekistan and its neighbouring countries is water pollution linked to the expected rise in the number and scale of facilities managing mining waste - or ‘tailings’ - if these are not safely managed.
In response, Uzbekistan is taking action to improve industrial safety, water and sanitation management through strengthened cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder cooperation. Today marks the first meeting of the Inter-Institutional Working Group on prevention of water pollution and tailings safety in Uzbekistan (IIWG), which was established within the framework of the Project on “Strengthening action in Uzbekistan on water and sanitation and protection of water resources from accidental pollution in the face of climate change”. The project, implemented under the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health and the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Deputy Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and Head of the recently established Inter-institutional Working Group, Mr. Iskandar Qutbiddinov, stressed that the questions of water quality and health are priorities for Uzbekistan. He also encouraged the IIWG members to actively cooperate, exchange experience and information.
The Working Group, which was officially established in July 2024, contains representatives from different ministries working in the area of water resources, water, sanitation and health, emergency situations, industrial/tailings safety, prevention of accidental water pollution, disaster risk reduction and environment protection. Uzbekistan is the third country in Central Asia to establish an IIWG, following Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The IIWG is the national governance mechanism aimed at strengthening coordination and multi-stakeholder policy dialogue between authorities and other interested stakeholders on issues related to water resources, tailings safety and the prevention of accidental water pollution.
Sustainable, climate-resilient development and the protection of natural resources, including water resources, have been identified as priorities by the Government of Uzbekistan.
The meeting brought together a full range of the representatives of the national authorities dealing with water resources, tailings safety, sanitation, emergency situations and the prevention of accidental water pollution in Uzbekistan along with the representative of operators, academia and NGOs.
The representatives exchanged information about ongoing initiatives and challenges in the areas covered by the IIWG. Climate change impacts and risks of Natural Hazards Triggering Technological Disasters’ (or ‘Natech’) were identified as particular challenges for water resources management and industrial safety, and hence a recommended focus of the IIWG’s second meeting. It was also recommended to involve operators of hazardous establishments in future meetings of the IIWG as they have important knowledge in these areas.
Participants agreed on the next steps and timeline for the development of the roadmap for Uzbekistan’s accession to the Industrial Accidents Convention, and preparation of the framework of a Joint Contingency Plan for industrial/tailings accident prevention, preparedness and response in the Syr Darya River Basin. The IIWG members agreed to hold the next meeting in March or April 2025.
Strengthening capacities for tailings management safety
The IIWG meeting is organized back-to-back with onsite training at the tailings management facility at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex on 24-26 September 2024, held within the Project on strengthening tailings safety and the prevention of accidental water pollution in Uzbekistan and beyond in Central Asia, implemented under the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention with funding from the Swiss Federal Office of the Environment. This provides an opportunity to study and apply the UNECE Safety Guidelines and Good Practices for Tailings Management Facilities (TMFs) and a related TMF methodology, providing a solid basis for enhancing the country’s capacities to prevent accidental water pollution and further progressing towards accession to the Industrial Accidents Convention.
Uzbekistan, while not yet a Party to the Convention, has been a beneficiary of the Convention’s Assistance and Cooperation Programme since 2005.
The training was organized under leadership of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the support of UNECE, thanks to funding provided by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.