BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
The Uzbek government over the next two years plans to channel around $300 million for the development of the Aral Sea region, Trend reports referring to Uzbek media.
It is noted that the funds would primarily be directed to projects to improve drinking water, protect public health and employment, the environment, as well as irrigation and reclamation systems in the region.
According to the information, once the world's fourth-largest lake in the area, the Aral Sea started disappearing in 1960, at a time when the Soviet Union turned the region into one of the biggest cotton suppliers in the world. The catastrophe profoundly worsened the socio-economic, environmental and health conditions of the local communities in Central Asia.
Countries across the globe have offered their help in the revival of the region. Germany earlier this year said it would spend €8 million on projects in the region.
In addition, the UN General Assembly last month declared the region a zone of ecological innovation and technology. The Assembly called on member states, the United Nations, and international financial institutions to develop and implement environmentally sound technologies, including energy and water-saving technologies, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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