For years, getting water in parts of northwestern Uzbekistan meant a daily walk with containers balanced on a shoulder pole. That is changing. Government figures released in July show that 83 percent of people in Uzbekistan are now connected to a water network, up from 63 percent in 2017, Euronews reported on 2 November. Around 39,000 kilometres of pipes have been built or rebuilt along the way.

"We used to carry water with a shoulder pole and containers. We collected it from neighbours and public taps. Now, thank God, we have water," Muslima Erimbetova, a resident of Nukus district, told Euronews.

Bringing water back to the Aral Sea region

Much of the recent progress is in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic that includes part of the Aral Sea region, one of the places hit hardest when the sea shrank. In 2018 the Asian Development Bank approved a $145 million loan to upgrade and expand water supply there, with the government adding $27.3 million. The project was designed to improve drinking water for about 388,000 people across six districts.

In Nukus district, the regional water utility says more than 31,000 residents have benefited, and network coverage has risen from 68 to 90 percent. The district also has its own water testing laboratory now, so samples no longer have to travel to the regional capital to be checked.

A new treatment plant at Mang'it draws water from the Amu Darya river and currently supplies about 20 million litres a day. It was built with room to grow. Sohib Akramov, the bank's drinking water project coordinator in Uzbekistan, said its capacity was calculated for "projected population growth" through 2040.

The last stretch of pipe

The work is not finished. About 17 percent of people in Uzbekistan still have no network connection, and access remains uneven outside the big cities. Even in Nukus district, about one in ten residents is still off the network. In neighbouring Amudaryo district, officials say only about half of residents had access before the latest works. A separate project covering about 355 kilometres of pipeline aims to raise coverage there to 80 percent.

The new plants can already treat more water than homes are connected to receive, which shows where the remaining challenge lies: reaching each household. The bank is now discussing a proposed $200 million project with the government, including about $70 million for Karakalpakstan and the reconstruction of the Tuyamuyun water treatment plant.

Why it matters

A tap at home gives back hours that used to go to carrying water, and it makes clean water easier to keep clean. Local testing means problems can be caught quickly. Uzbekistan's progress shows what steady investment in pipes, plants and laboratories can do, and its remaining gaps are a reminder that the last households are often the hardest to reach.

Learn more

• Read the Euronews report and the Asian Development Bank announcement of the Karakalpakstan project.

Sources: Euronews, "'Now, thank God, we have water': Uzbekistan's tap water reaches 83% of people, but gaps remain," 2 November 2026; Asian Development Bank, "ADB $145 Million Loan to Help Improve Water Supply Services in Uzbekistan," 2018.

How you can help

These organizations work to bring safe water to families who still lack it:

• UNICEF improves water, sanitation and hygiene in Uzbekistan's schools and health centres, including in Karakalpakstan.
• WaterAid works with communities and governments to bring clean water, toilets and good hygiene to everyone, everywhere.
• Water.org helps families get safe water and sanitation at home through small, affordable loans.