National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

These measures are formally enshrined in the Law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aimed at Strengthening Environmental Protection, the Protection of Flora and Fauna and Ensuring the Rational Use of Natural Resources.”

First, in the field of waste management, amendments are being introduced to the relevant articles of the Code of Administrative Responsibility, along with the addition of a new article. Accordingly, for violations of environmental protection requirements in the collection, transportation, placement, neutralization, storage, disposal, processing, and sale of industrial, construction, household and other types of waste, fines are increased twofold for individuals and four- to fivefold for officials.

In addition, a new Article 91(4) is introduced into the Code, establishing liability for the illegal collection and removal of recyclable waste from designated collection points and unguarded (modular) facilities, with fines of up to 1.2 million sums.

Second, fines are increased for violations related to riverbed cleaning and bank reinforcement works, water pollution and contamination, breaches of water protection regimes at hydraulic structures, as well as violations of wastewater discharge requirements and rules governing water use and consumption. Penalties are increased twofold for individuals and four- to fivefold for officials.

Third, liability is strengthened for damage to hayfields and pastures on forest fund lands, unauthorized haymaking, destruction or damage to drainage systems and roads, violations of the regime of protected natural areas, destruction of fauna beneficial to forests, and breaches of fire safety requirements in forests. Furthermore, a new Article 77(1) is introduced into the Code, establishing liability for the illegal allocation of forest fund land and the construction of buildings and structures on such land, with fines of up to 41.2 million sums for individuals and up to 82.4 million sums for officials.

In addition, a new Article 198(1) is introduced into the Criminal Code, under which the illegal allocation of forest fund land or violations of rules governing its use, committed repeatedly following the imposition of an administrative penalty, are punishable by a fine of up to 164.8 million sums, restriction of liberty for a period of two to three years, or imprisonment for up to three years. Moreover, illegal construction on forest fund land committed after the application of administrative penalties entails a fine of up to 206 million sums, or restriction of liberty for a period of three to five years, or imprisonment for the same term.

Liability is also strengthened for causing harm to flora and fauna, their destruction, as well as for atmospheric air pollution.

The following measures are also provided for:
– administrative liability is established for environmental offences recorded through specialized automated photo and video recording systems;
– legal entities engaged in activities classified as Categories I and II of environmental impact will be subject to financial sanctions in the form of fines of up to 123.6 million sums for failure to submit, incomplete submission, or submission of inaccurate data to the unified geoinformation database of the state environmental monitoring system;
– unauthorized concreting of land adjacent to apartment buildings with soil and/or green cover, as well as the installation of structures on such land, will be subject to fines of 4.1 million sums for individuals and 8.2 million sums for officials;
– where land degradation or pollution, water contamination, or atmospheric air pollution results in widespread illness among the population, death of animals, birds, or fish, or other serious consequences, fines are increased by 2.5 times (from 82.4 million to 206 million sums) and the term of compulsory community service is extended from 360 to 480 hours;
– where violations of land and subsoil use and protection requirements result in serious consequences, fines are increased threefold (from 41.2 million to 123.6 million sums), the term of compulsory community service is extended from 360 to 480 hours and the term of restriction of liberty is increased from three to five years.