Uzbek president proposes launching regional program to introduce water-saving technologyUzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke at the Samarkand International Climate Forum on Friday about the growing water shortage in the region and called for joining efforts to introduce water-saving technology."We are calling for joining efforts and launching a regional program to introduce water-saving technologies in Central Asia. We are planning to hold an international forum in the Aral Sea region for expert discussion of these plans," Mirziyoyev said in his speech.Mirziyoyev said the region is experiencing the aftermath of one of the worst tragedies of humanity, namely, the drying up of the Aral Sea."According to forecasts, the Central Asian countries will face a high level of water stress by 2040 amid a declining flow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers," he said.Mirziyoyev said that in order to save water resources, Uzbekistan is concreting irrigation networks and has set up an industrial base for producing water-saving technology, which has already been implemented on almost half of irrigated lands, precisely, on nearly two million hectares."We are also counting on close cooperation with the European Union under the Copernicus program to conduct continuous satellite observations of glaciers and early diagnosis of risks to the region's mountain ecosystems," Mirziyoyev said.The Climate Residence, which was established at the Green University in Tashkent, could serve as a joint scientific and expert platform to study and monitor climate processes in Central Asia, Mirziyoyev added.Following the first Central Asia-EU summit, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are attending a climate forum in Samarkand on Friday. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX