23.02.2022

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the ongoing work on a forestation of the dried Aral Sea bed.

The ecological and economic well-being of the people of Karakalpakstan and the vast region as a whole depends on solving this problem. Once, the sea and the rivers flew into it, agricultural land provided people with work and income. However, thoughtless interference to the laws of nature, blocking of watercourses along the Amudarya and Syrdarya led to one of the most serious environmental disasters in the world. The rapid desertification and salinization of the soil started in the region. The flora and fauna suffered a great damage.

In the current era of global warming and precipitation reduction, the chances of saving the Aral Sea are extremely low. The only way is to preserve what is left, minimize the impact of the tragedy and make people’s lives easier.

The President has repeatedly addressed this issue at the UN General Assembly Sessions and put forward important proposals at the international summits. At the same time, practical work is going on with the use of internal capabilities. 

The millions of tons of dust and poisonous salts rose and spread far around from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea. During a trip to Muynak in 2018, Shavkat Mirziyoyev set the task of planting the salinity-resistant plants at the seabed taking into account the recommendations of scientists.

Today, the President was informed about the work accomplished over the past time.

In recent years, the Tugai Forests with an area of 1 million 524 thousand hectares have been planted on the dried-up bottom of the sea. In difficult natural conditions, it was possible to plant about 6 thousand tons of seeds of such desert plants as saxaul, buckwheat, kandym and cherkez. More than 4,000 workers and 1,600 pieces of equipment, including aircraft, were involved in the work.

Such good and necessary work continues. This year it is set to afforest another 100 thousand hectares of land. Currently, the work is ongoing at 26 thousand hectares of land and 562 tons of seeds have been prepared. Moreover, the nursery with a total area of 100 hectares is being created.

The President talked with ecologists and forestry specialists there.

“We have accumulated a lot of experience in creating plantings in such difficult conditions. The purpose of my visit is to continue this work on the basis of a scientific approach”- Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The instructions are given to expand a scientific research, create plant varieties corresponding to the soil of the region and increase the area of Tugai plantations.

It was instructed to develop a five-year national program for the restoration of the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea region.