Why is this important
Relocating “dirty” industries from large cities directly reduces the air pollution in areas where the largest number of people live and where pollution is most noticeable. This isn’t a one-time inspection, but a management measure: enterprises are either modernized to meet modern standards or relocated to industrial zones outside the urban fabric. For businesses, this means additional requirements and costs, but also an opportunity to upgrade equipment and maintain operations elsewhere.
What happened
- The National Committee on Ecology reported that 87 polluting enterprises are planned to be relocated from Tashkent, and a number of industrial facilities are also planned to be relocated to Nukus.
- The authorities intend to gradually remove asbestos and cement industries, leather and footwear production, poultry production, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, and other energy-intensive industries from Tashkent, Nukus, and regional centers.
- As part of the raid inspections, the Special Commission inspected Uzvtortsvetmet JSC in the Yangikhayotsky District. The company was subsequently issued an order and awarded compensation. Subsequently, it was announced that the facility would be relocated to an industrial zone in the Jizzakh Region and that operations in the district would cease.
Numbers and facts
- The National Committee on Ecology’s press service reported that 87 polluting enterprises are planned to be relocated from Tashkent alone.
- The report states that the transfer will affect enterprises in the asbestos and cement industries, leather and footwear production, poultry production, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, as well as other industries with high energy consumption.
- It is noted that the decommissioning of one industrial enterprise will reduce emissions by more than 226 tons per year.
- The relocation of the enterprises is planned to be carried out in stages, subject to the modernization of existing facilities and the bringing of production processes into compliance with modern environmental standards.
- The special commission conducts raid inspections of industrial facilities on a regular basis.
- In the Southern Industrial Zone of the Yangikhaetsky District, the activities of Uzvtortsvetmet JSC, which specializes in the procurement, processing, and production of secondary non-ferrous metals, were inspected.
- Following the inspection, the company was issued a mandatory order and awarded compensation for environmental damage in the amount of 18 billion 91 million 717 thousand 137 soums.
- Based on the order, the enterprise will relocate to the industrial zone of the Jizzakh region and cease production activities in the Yangikhayot district.
- The statement noted that the authorities will provide the company with incentives for compensation payments to dispose of obsolete and environmentally harmful smelting furnaces and continue operations using more advanced equipment.
- It is planned that the measures taken will prevent, on average, approximately 226.7 tons of pollutants from being released into the atmosphere per year.
Context
- For regional industrial zones, this means an influx of production and the need to ensure infrastructure is in place in advance to prevent relocation from becoming a “temporary solution” without environmental benefits.
- For residents, the practical effect is expected to be a reduction in emissions from specific facilities if the relocation is accompanied by modernization, and not simply a change of address.
