The President of Uzbekistan has signed a decree outlining a large-scale program to stabilize the environmental situation in Tashkent and reduce air pollution. The document, numbered DP-229 and dated November 24, 2025, titled “On urgent measures to improve the environmental situation in the city of Tashkent,” provides for the creation of a special commission, expansion of the powers of environmental authorities, new restrictions for industry and transport, and the modernization of the monitoring system.
By March 1, 2026, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change is required to carry out urgent measures and establish the Special Commission, tasked with continuous air quality analysis, coordination of government agencies, development of measures based on international experience, and preparation of recommendations for the President. The Commission will also manage project funding and public awareness campaigns.
The decree grants the Commission authority to impose restrictions on industry, transport, and greenhouse operations during periods of high dust levels. This includes temporary limitations on freight traffic, implementation of odd-even vehicle registration rules (excluding electric vehicles), suspension of greenhouses and other emission sources, and designation of enterprises to be relocated outside the city. The Commission can set emission limits, suspend violators, regulate construction, and ban projects in water protection zones.
Construction sites of 500 m² or more will be inspected within a week for compliance with requirements: at least 25% green coverage, irrigation systems, wheel-washing areas, and dust control measures. For sites over 1,000 m², installation of background monitoring stations is mandatory.
The Tashkent city administration is required to regularly wash trees along roads and expand irrigation in private areas during the warm season. New water reservoirs will be created in four directions of the city, and within two weeks a program to double the number of fountains must be presented.
The Ministry of Energy must ensure gas supply contracts with all greenhouse facilities, while the Committee on Ecology will draft legislation increasing fines for missing filtration systems in greenhouses and introducing criminal liability for burning waste.
By the end of 2025, the air monitoring system will be expanded: 347 automated stations will be acquired, and the “Air Monitoring Tashkent” platform will be integrated with existing and new observation posts under the Committee on Ecology to launch the “Air Monitoring Uzbekistan” platform. A specialized laboratory for air analysis will be established, with equipment and air and water purification installations exempt from customs duties.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance and “Uzavtosanoat” will develop procedures to buy back “M” and “N” category vehicles manufactured before 2010 that do not meet the Euro-4 standard.
The Tashkent city administration will launch the “Green Corridor” project along the small ring road and prepare the “Green Tashkent” master plan. An intelligent traffic light management system will be implemented at 700 intersections, and each district will have three “shady walking streets.”
The decree provides for satellite and drone monitoring of air pollution and construction sites. The Ministry of Internal Affairs must ensure all vehicles pass technical inspections by the end of 2026. The General Prosecutor’s Office will conduct checks on illegal circulation of fuel oil, used motor oil, and tires by March 2026.
The Ministry of Health, together with the Committee, will develop a national air quality index and public protection recommendations, while the sanitary service will implement an early warning system for sharp air quality deterioration.
The Committee on Ecology will establish a new laboratory to analyze harmful substances in particulate matter, issue state research contracts in high-pollution regions, and conduct experiments to increase wind speed using convergence methods and the Venturi effect.
Control over the decree’s implementation is assigned to Saidа Mirziyoyeva, the President’s daughter and head of the Presidential Administration.
Photo caption: Tashkent, historical postcard, pre-independence, approximately 1970s. Trees with dense foliage and uncut branches.
The full text of the presidential decree is attached in the Uzbek version of the article.