(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 14. Uzbekistan boasts a staggering 50,000 kilometers of irrigation networks, with 1,600 pumping stations and over 10,000 hydraulic structures in its arsenal, Trend reports, citing the Office of the President.

This information was announced during a presentation to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the digitalization of the water sector, efforts to improve water resources management at the local level, and measures to enhance the sector's attractiveness for private investment.

Of late, Uzbekistan has been rolling up its sleeves to tackle water management, putting its best foot forward to modernize irrigation infrastructure and make the most of every drop. At the same time, a number of challenges persist at lower levels of the system, requiring a comprehensive approach-particularly in terms of service efficiency, transparency of billing, and financial stability of water management organizations.

The presentation outlined measures to further advance digitalization and improve management mechanisms in the sector.

The“Suv Hisobi” information platform will accurately calculate water usage and provide consumers with electronic notifications. This system will reduce human error, eliminate unnecessary paperwork, and increase the efficiency of resource use. Integration with the“Digital Agriculture” platform will ensure data accuracy by automatically updating information on irrigated land, crop types, and water limits.

To ensure data accuracy, integration with the "Digital Agriculture" platform will be established. This will allow information on irrigated land, crop types, and water limits to be automatically updated.

In addition, a center for digitalization and monitoring of water management will be established under the Ministry of Water Resources to consolidate all industry data into a single system. The center will analyze information on water balance, pumping stations, and water consumption, creating conditions for the automation of decision-making processes.

To strengthen financial independence, water management institutions will be allowed to allocate 40 percent of water tax revenues to improve their own material and technical base.

The practice of public-private partnerships in managing pumping stations will also be expanded. By 2026, 50 percent of pumping stations in the Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Namangan, Samarkand, and Syrdarya regions will be transferred to private partners, and by 2027, all pumping stations in the Namangan region are expected to be under private management.

As part of this initiative, the“Chartak Experience” project will be implemented in the Chartak district of the Namangan region based on the principle of“one pumping station, one system.” Private partners will manage water supply within established limits, and 40 percent of the water tax collected from areas served by the pumps will be transferred to the partner. These funds will be used for phased automation of water metering and the modernization of pumping stations.

President Mirziyoyev gave clear instructions to responsible officials to accelerate digitalization, fully automate accounting and reporting, improve local service efficiency, expand public-private partnerships, and strengthen employee accountability. At the conclusion of the meeting, the head of state signed the relevant documents.

MENAFN14102025000187011040ID1110192916