Content Introduction Global problems in the world today The main ecological problems in Uzbekistan Water pollution Conclusion Introduction

Water pollution

Large-scale use of chemicals for cotton cultivation, inefficient irrigation systems, and poor drainage systems are examples of the conditions that led to a high filtration of salinized and contaminated water back into the soil. Post-Soviet policies have become even more dangerous; in the early 1990s, the average application of chemical fertilizers and insecticides throughout the Central Asian republics was twenty to twenty-five kilograms per hectare, compared with the former average of three kilograms per hectare for the entire Soviet Union. As a result, the supply of fresh water has received further contaminants. Industrial pollutants also have damaged Uzbekistan's water. In the Amu Darya, concentrations of phenol and oil products have been measured at far above acceptable health standards. In 1989 the minister of health of the Turkmen SSR described the Amu Darya as a sewage ditch for industrial and agricultural waste substances. Experts who monitored the river in 1995 reported even further deterioration.
In the early 1990s, about 60 percent of pollution control funding went to water-related projects, but only about half of cities and about one-quarter of villages have sewers. Communal water systems do not meet health standards; much of the population lacks drinking water systems and must drink water straight from contaminated irrigation ditches, canals, or the Amu Darya itself.
According to one report, virtually all the large underground fresh-water supplies in Uzbekistan are polluted by industrial and chemical wastes. An official in Uzbekistan's Ministry of Environment estimated that about half of the country's population lives in regions where the water is severely polluted. The government estimated in 1995 that only 230 of the country's 8,000 industrial enterprises were following pollution control standards. Uzbekistan's main environmental problems are soil salinity, land pollution, and water pollution. In 1992, Uzbekistan had the world's 27th highest level of carbon dioxide emissions, which totaled 123.5 million metric tons, a per capita level of 5.75 metric tons. In 1996, the total dropped to 94.9 million metric tons. Chemicals used in farming, such as DDT, contribute to the pollution of the soil. Desertification is a continuing concern. The nation's forestlands are also threatened and continue to dwindle. Between 1990-1995, deforestation occurred at an annual average rate of 2.65%. The country's water supply also suffers from toxic chemical pollutants from industrial activity as well as fertilizers and pesticides. Uzbekistan has 16.3 cu km of renewable water resources, with 94% used for farming and 2% used for industrial purposes. The Aral Sea has been drying up and, as a result, pesticides and natural salts in its water have become increasingly concentrated. The nation's cities produce an average of 45.8 million tons of solid waste per year.
As of 2001, only 1.8% of Uzbekistan's total land area is protected. In 2001, 7 mammal species and 11 bird species were threatened with extinction. Threatened or rare species include the markhor, Central Asia cobra, Aral salmon, slender-billed curlew, and Asiatic wild dog. The Jeseter hladky has become extinct.
Uzbekistan was placed 25th out of 164 in the world’s most water-stressed countries ranking published by the World Resources Institute. The water shortage is a very pressing issue for Uzbekistan, given that the scarcity in certain regions, especially Karakalpakstan, might cause a social and environmental crisis. The water is scarce not only for agricultural purposes but also for domestic use. Hence, it is reasonable for us to raise the following questions. How does water shortage affect Uzbekistan’s economic and political life? How effective are the measures undertaken by the government and international organizations? 
Water scarcity and the Aral Sea.
Uzbekistan’s hydropower resources make up only 4.92% of the entire country territory; the total water resources amount to 50-60 km 3 per year, of which only 12.2 km 3 is formed inside the republic, whereas the rest of the water comes from elsewhere – from the Tien Shan and Pamir-Altai mountains, from snowmelt and glaciers melting in summer. Most of the water resources go to irrigate cotton fields.By 2030, the population of the republic is forecast to increase to almost 40 million people, causing a reduction in available water resources by 7-8 km3. In such circumstances, the current water shortage will surge by 2030 from 13-14% to 44–46%, impairing the development of both agriculture and industries. According to the World Bank, freshwater losses in Uzbekistan in 2018 amounted to 469 million cubic meters or 32% of the total volume of drinking water produced. Large-scale water losses come amidst unfavorable forecasts for the future water supply in Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. According to World Bank forecasts, by 2050, streamflow decline might amount to 2-5% in the Syr Darya river basin, and 10-15% in the Amu Darya river basin, thus resulting in an increased water shortage. In jeopardy is not only agriculture but hydropower as well since the productivity of hydropower plants by 2050 in parts of the region may decline to 20%. The problem of the Aral Sea concerns not only Uzbekistan but also neighboring countries. 135-145 million tons of salt are dumped into the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya annually, making it about 17-20 tons for 1 ha of irrigated land per year. If by 1960 the average annual river flow into the Aral Sea was about 55 km 3 or 45-50%, then by 1990 the inflow had decreased to 6-12 km3 was approaching zero in dry years. Currently, sea level is declining at a rate of about 0.5 m per year, reaching 37.0 m; the sea surface area has been reduced to 32,000 km2; salinity increased to 40 or more g / l and is still growing. The problem of the Aral Sea took a political aspect in the late 1980s: with the efforts of the Central Asian leadership, there was an International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) established, currently the only interstate coordinating mechanism in Central Asia. Experience had shown that only the joint efforts of all Central Asian states can prevent the further drying of the Aral Sea. However, the cooperation does not go beyond signing general declarations and memoranda. There were many initiatives in the 1990s, but all remained on paper. For example, on March 26, 1993, the regional leaders signed an agreement in the town of Kyzyl-Orda on collectively addressing the problem of the Aral Sea and the Aral Sea region. Paragraph 3 of article 1 read: guaranteed water supply to the Aral Sea in volumes necessary to maintain a reduced but stable water area at an environmentally acceptable level and thus preserve the sea as a natural site. Contributing factors in the failure to address the Aral Sea issue is its location mainly on the territory of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as an “inland sea” of these republics. The remaining Central Asian states are concerned with the development of their hydropower and extensive agriculture. In October 2019, Uzbekistan invited the world community to declare the Aral Sea a zone of environmental innovations and technologies. This matter to be considered at the UN General Assembly in September 2020. Kazakhstan seeks to preserve biodiversity and the lake in the north of the Aral Sea. Over the past 30 years, international organizations have written numerous policy briefs and proposals of a review and recommendatory nature. UNDP programs on environmental issues in the Aral Sea region are also under implementation. The fundamental solution to the Aral Sea problem lays in creating a legal framework for determining the status of the former Aral Sea in Central Asia, i.e. when the Aral becomes a subject for international relations. This can be done with the Central Asian states signing an international treaty brokered by the EU, the USA and the Russian Federation. We must remember that this is possible only if the Central Asian republics cooperate closely in tackling the energy and environmental issues in the region.
Demand for water resources is increasing in Central Asian countries during the summer months due to the increase in agricultural production, demographic growth, and increased evaporation due to the increase in average temperature.
In turn, due to climate change and irrational use of water resources, the melting of glaciers, which are the main sources of water in the region, has accelerated. Central Asian countries, where water scarcity is acute and likely to rise to the level of life and death in the near future, should coordinate and revise their strategies in order to preserve the common ecosystem and reduce possible economic losses.

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