Presidential Decree No. PP-439 “On additional measures for the protection and regulation of the rational use of groundwater resources”. Country/Territory Uzbekistan Document type Regulation Date 2022 Source FAO, FAOLEX Subject Water Keyword Freshwater resources management Groundwater Water abstraction Freshwater pollution Well sinking/boreholes Irrigation Authorization/permit Contract/agreement Local government Pollution control Geographical area Aral Sea, Asia, Asia and the Pacific, Central Asia, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Europe and Central Asia, Landlocked Developing Nations, North Asia Entry into force notes This Presidential Decree enters into force on the date of its official publication. Abstract The President, in order to further improve the system of use and drilling of groundwater wells in the country, strengthen state and public control over the protection of groundwater resources, widely promote the rational water use among the population, prevent their quantitative decrease and pollution, and ultimately provide the population with high-quality drinking water in the long term, decrees to approve the List of territories with declining groundwater levels, where a moratorium is introduced on drilling wells and groundwater use, in accordance with Appendix No. 1. Starting from January 1, 2023: (a) in territories where the water level in which, relative to the long-term average groundwater level, has decreased by more than 5 meters, it is prohibited to issue a hydrogeological conclusion for the purpose of irrigating lands and production, drilling groundwater wells and using existing wells for irrigating lands without water-saving technologies, with the exception of drilling wells up to 25 meters deep within the framework of approved state programs and by natural persons, as well as individual groundwater abstraction in the amount of up to 5 cubic meters per day for personal needs; (b) a hydrogeological conclusion for drilling underground wells for groundwater and a special permit for water use in areas where the water level has dropped to 5 meters relative to the long-term average level of groundwater, shall be issued by the State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources for the purpose of irrigating agricultural land - upon agreement with the Ministry of Water Resources on the terms of the introduction of water-saving technologies; for production needs - upon agreement with the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, local self-government (khokimiyats of regions and the city of Tashkent) on the terms of regional development programs and economical use of water; and (c) the imposition of a ban on the operation of drilling wells when water-saving technologies (drip, sprinkler, discrete, etc.) are not used when irrigating agricultural crops is carried out by the Inspectorate for Control over Mining and Geological Activities under the State Committee for Geology. In order to maintain accurate records of the use of groundwater, groundwater users, before January 1, 2024, are obliged to equip the groundwater intake facilities under their control with water metering devices in the prescribed manner. Starting from January 1, 2024, groundwater users are prohibited from using groundwater intake facilities that are not equipped with water metering devices (with the exception of individual groundwater intake in the amount of up to 5 cubic meters per day for personal and economic needs by natural persons). Full text Russian Website lex.uz