Strengthening the Economic, Financial and Technological Dimensions of Water Efficiency in Uzbekistan

5. Technologies and innovation for water efficiency and demand management

Abstract

This chapter explores how technological innovation can support safer, more efficient and more reliable water management in Uzbekistan. Drawing on AWC expertise and Korea’s experience, it highlights priority actions in infrastructure modernisation, smart-water management, groundwater and irrigation systems and capacity building.

This chapter discusses best practices for the implementation of new technologies, based on AWC’s expertise, and identifies areas within Uzbekistan’s water sectors that may benefit from innovation. The recommendations have been developed in line with the objectives outlined in Uzbekistan’s water-sector development plans for 2020 and 2030, with a particular focus on maintaining the safety and reliability of the country’s water facilities.

This chapter focuses on assessing current technical performance and analysing the quality of infrastructure in water-related sectors. The recommendations are based on literature reviews, expert interviews, field visits, consultations with government officials and discussions from in-person policy consultation workshops in Uzbekistan, and leverage Korea’s experience.

The following areas were identified as potentially benefiting from technological innovation:

• effective development and utilisation of rivers within the country

• modernisation of water infrastructure

• capacity building for efficient water management

5.1. Understanding the relevance of Korea’s water technology experience for application in Uzbekistan

In the Republic of Korea, K-water has demonstrated its expertise in introducing innovative technologies in water-related sectors, including the Dam Smart Safety Management System, support to the Mekong River Commission and a smart-control surveillance-operation system for groundwater resources.

Some key projects that have been successful include:

• Management of local water services: In 2004, 36% (85 000 km) of Korea’s water pipes were over 20 years old, resulting in 670 million m³ of water leakages, equivalent to 36 days of national water supply or an economic loss of KRW 691.7 billion (approximately USD 524.4 million). To prevent such losses and make more effective use of water resources, K-water gradually took on the operation of local water services in 23 localities. Through these efforts, K-water developed a network management system, upgraded ageing infrastructure and increased the water flow rate from 60% (prior to the contractual arrangements with local authorities) to 85%. Since the implementation of these arrangements, the population served by water supply has increased to 2.56 million – an additional 800 000 residents. Customer satisfaction has also risen to 84%, representing an 18% increase.

• Modernisation of local water service: K-water has successfully implemented 23 efficient water-service-operation and leakage-reduction projects in the West Chungcheong region. This includes local-water-service modernisation projects aimed at improving water-flow rates through the maintenance of ageing water pipes and water-treatment facilities, alongside the enhancement of management capabilities through facility upgrades. To achieve a water-efficiency rate of over 85% in each city, key components of the project included the introduction of a block system, categorised into large, medium and small blocks, the improvement of ageing water-supply networks and the appropriate management of overall network pressure. These efforts have significantly strengthened the foundation for the efficient operation of the water-supply-network management system.

• Innovative energy use related to water: Since the pilot installation of a 2.4 kW floating solar-power module at Juam Dam in 2009, K-water successfully commercialised the world’s first floating solar-power system utilising a dam surface by installing a 500 kW floating solar-generation facility at Hapcheon Dam in 2012. Currently, seven power plants with a combined capacity of 6 MW are in operation. This initiative has enabled K-water to create new industries by leveraging the added value of water. Beginning with the construction of the Juam Dam plant, K-water has been developing and expanding an urban distributed hydrothermal-energy system using raw water from regional water-supply facilities. Thermal energy derived from river water has been designated as a form of new renewable energy, and efforts are underway to scale up the hydrothermal energy sector by targeting demand in public buildings, national projects and large private energy-consuming facilities. The Korean Ministry of Environment aims to introduce 2 GW of hydrothermal energy by 2050, with the objective of saving 2 138 GWh of energy annually and reducing CO₂ emissions by 547 000 tonnes. K-water also plans to supply hydrothermal energy to its 43 regional water-purification plants currently in operation, aiming to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2030. Through this, it expects to reduce annual greenhouse-gas emissions by 651 000 tonnes and fine-dust emissions by 767 tonnes by 2030.

During the 2014-2015 Asia Water High-Level Roundtables, thirty-one organisations, including governments, multilateral development banks, international organisations, research institutes and civil-society groups, convened to advance practical solutions for water resilience in response to Asia’s pressing water challenges. A consensus emerged on the need for a professional and sustainable consultative platform, leading to the formal establishment of the Asia Water Council at the fourth Roundtable, held during the seventh World Water Forum in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.

The Asia Water Council (AWC) was established as a leading platform dedicated to addressing water challenges in Asia and beyond, supporting sustainable development through clean and sufficient water. With 147 members from 27 countries, AWC collaborates with governments, academia, civil society and international organizations, including the World Water Council, the International Water Resources Association, the OECD and the Asian Development Bank, to implement joint water projects.

The synergies between AWC and Uzbekistan are evident. In March 2025, Uzbekistan became a member of the AWC, as the Minister of Water Resources, Shavkat Khamraev, attended the 22^nd AWC Board of Directors meeting in Cambodia, where he met with council representatives and participated in an exhibition of innovative water-management solutions.

5.2. Technical innovation proposals have been targeted at priority areas, in line with Uzbekistan’s strategy for water 2020-2030

Following literature reviews, in-country dialogues and understanding synergies between AWC’s work and the goals of the government of Uzbekistan, AWC undertook an assessment of areas with the greatest potential for the implementation of new technologies.

Based on this assessment, several areas of Uzbekistan’s water sectors have been identified that may benefit from Korea’s experience and AWC’s recommendations, particularly in line with Uzbekistan’s National Strategy on Water Management and Development of Irrigation 2020-2030. These are areas where technologies and innovation could be leveraged to foster efficiency and build capacity for water management. Identified areas are shown on the table below.

Table 5.1. Assessment of areas for implementation of new technologies

Area identified	Analysis	Drawing from Korean experience
Dam safety	Currently, there are limitations in Uzbekistan regarding technical assistance, which constrains the capacity to monitor, operate and maintain infrastructure. The large dams on shared rivers, numbering over 100, are becoming increasingly high-risk due to ageing, a lack of maintenance and the absence of legal safety-management systems. New measures are required to address the potential repercussions of natural disasters, such as dam collapses or earthquakes. At present, the actual operation of many large dams often diverges from their original design standards and guidelines.	K-water has established and is implementing the Water Infrastructure Safety Diagnosis and Maintenance Service Platform Roadmap. The Dam Smart Safety Management Platform integrates advanced technologies for efficient and proactive dam safety management. This includes smart monitoring for real-time data collection, drone inspection for remote performance checks and AI analytics for data-driven diagnostics. The Digital Twin enables virtual assessments, while seismic monitoring detects structural stability in real time. Digital resources support data-driven decision-making, and the dam-safety-management centre ensures comprehensive oversight and co-ordination.
Groundwater over abstraction and pollution	As of 2017, the reserves of groundwater in Uzbekistan with relatively good water quality are estimated at 27 584 million m3. The total permitted groundwater-extraction volume was 6 134 million m3, and annual consumption averaged 5 320 million m3. Due to unauthorised water extraction facilities and illegal water extraction, groundwater reserves are significantly declining, alongside worsening water quality. Consequently, groundwater available for households is rapidly decreasing.	Korea’s Groundwater Act provides a framework for the development, use and conservation of groundwater. The Act sets criteria including permit requirements for groundwater development, provision of facility maps when developing groundwater, mandatory regular water-quality testing by users, based on both the purpose and volume of use, groundwater-facility surveys and a licensing system for individuals or entities possessing approved technical expertise and equipment. Groundwater abstraction is strictly monitored, with water quality representing the primary challenge. In Korea, the main sources of groundwater contamination include agricultural runoff (containing fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides), domestic wastewater (such as leakage from damaged sewage pipes), industrial waste, oil spills and unregulated development activities. To address groundwater pollution, Korea has implemented measures for facilities identified as potential contamination sources (Article 16-2 of the Groundwater Act). These efforts form part of the 4th Basic Groundwater Management Plan (Strategy 3-2-1) and the Groundwater Management Advancement Strategy (3-2). The database contains information on facility characteristics, pollutant types, discharge volumes and permit-approval dates. When groundwater contamination is identified through detailed soil contamination surveys, remediation measures may include soil excavation and water-oil separation in cases of mixed contamination, or groundwater pumping using wells when only groundwater is affected.
Water-supply facilities	Some areas of Uzbekistan's water-supply systems require renovation, replacement or more efficient operation guidelines. Key issues include: unclear responsibility for maintenance frequent breakdowns of pumps, electrical machinery and other equipment, and inefficient operation of the water supply system a water supply rate of approximately 68%, combined with instability in water quantity and quality, interruptions and insufficient pressure ageing systems and low water-supply rates in most rural areas	Korea widely uses Internet-of-Things-based smart-metering systems. These allow remote monitoring of consumption through long-range communication technologies such as NarrowBand-IoT. The IoT-based Smart Watering System enables real-time usage monitoring and automated data transmission via LPWA and LTE base stations. Data are processed through an IoT platform and integrated into a smart-metering programme. The system supports real-time water monitoring, optimises water-distribution-network management and improves metering accuracy through automated data collection.
Irrigation and drainage management	As of 2019, the irrigated area in Uzbekistan was estimated at 4.2 million hectares or 20.2% of agricultural land, producing more than 90% of crop output. Considering areas suitable for irrigation and future water conservation, development potential is estimated at 4.9 million hectares. Most irrigation systems currently rely on pumps and canal systems.	The Rural Agricultural Water Resource Information System (RAWRIS) integrates and manages information on agricultural production infrastructure, disasters and catastrophes and water resources. It enables rational use of irrigation water, improves information reliability, supports optimal rural water-development planning and enhances disaster-management capacity through prediction and evaluation of water supply, flood control, water quality and other hazards. Alongside this, it includes a joint response to national water-management information and strengthening of water management’s external status.
Capacity building for efficient water management	Uzbekistan’s national strategy identifies education and training programmes as essential for improving water-resource management and promoting sustainable development. The institutionalisation of the Suvchilar Maktabi (School of Water Practitioners) presents an opportunity to build long-term capacity in sustainable water use and irrigation. Launched in May 2023 under presidential direction and jointly implemented by Agrobank, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation Engineers, the initiative has trained over 61 000 farmers and irrigation specialists across 155 districts. Supported by foreign experts, the curriculum promotes efficient drip irrigation, digital tools and climate-resilient methods. The second phase (2024-2030) aims to train 10 000 participants annually through fieldwork, e-learning and demonstration sites across 13 regions.	The ODA project of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) provides a framework for developing a capacity-building programme. In 2024, K-water carried out seven capacity-building programmes, including training under the Sebanghieng Climate-Adaptive Flood Early Warning System Construction Project, with a total of 60 participants. Over the past ten years, Korea has implemented 13 449 ODA education projects in Uzbekistan, with a total disbursement of USD 228 million. A cumulative 422 projects focused on water-related sectors, totalling USD 100 million (KRW 140 billion). Training programmes in water resource management could be considered by identifying training needs at the national and local levels. The training could include hydrological monitoring, irrigation system operation and water resource protection. Training in the following topics could be considered: Automation and digitalisation of water management, including real-time monitoring and optimisation tools dissemination of Water Saving Technologies to increase water-resource-management efficiency. This should ensure that water-management professionals and agricultural workers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement efficient irrigation practices. Consideration of droughts and other impacts on water resources and training on water management strategies to adapt.