The Agency of "Uzbekcosmos"

Training Workshop on Developing Drought Monitoring Systems Based on Remote Sensing Technologies for Central Asian Countries

Amid global climate change, in particular a sharp increase in air temperature, serious environmental problems are emerging in the world. In some regions, disasters such as rising water levels, floods and droughts are observed. This indicates that the ecological situation is worsening. It is obvious that the problems threatening the world do not bypass Central Asia, in particular Uzbekistan.

It is known that Central Asia is one of the most important regions where it is necessary to pay attention to the consequences of climate change. The reason is that abnormally hot weather leads to evaporation of water from lakes and other basins, a decrease in river flow and a reduction in glacial water reserves. Water shortages will aggravate problems in agriculture, energy and the environment, which will lead to an aggravation of the social and political situation. In particular, drought can lead to a decrease in crop yields, loss of livestock and a deterioration in living conditions of the population, which can cause significant damage to the economy.

Of course, international cooperation is of great importance in this regard. To this end, the Uzcosmos agency, together with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), is developing a project to create a drought monitoring system for Central Asia based on remote sensing technologies. Within its framework, the states of the region will be assisted in improving the drought management system, timely use of satellite data and technical resources. In particular, it is planned to create a system for operational drought monitoring and a platform for cloud monitoring of crops, taking into account the specific conditions of each country.

On August 18 of this year, an international seminar was held in the building of the Ministry of Digital Technologies, where participants exchanged views on the implementation of this project in Uzbekistan and discussed existing opportunities. As noted, drought is one of the most dangerous natural disasters in Central Asia and other regions with a dry climate. This process is associated not only with climatic factors, but also with human activities, in particular, with improper management of water resources. In recent years, space technologies have become an important tool for monitoring, assessing and preventing drought. Satellite data is taking decision-making in agriculture, ecology and water management to a whole new level. To this end, the development of the National Drought Monitoring System was launched in May 2025 and will be implemented in the regions of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

It is noteworthy that space monitoring is one of the main tools in the fight against drought. In particular, with the help of satellite images, changes in soil moisture, vegetation cover and water area can be determined using remote sensing. In addition, indices such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) allow us to predict plant health and yield.

If drought is not addressed seriously, it can cause a chain reaction of many problems. Due to this disaster, the country will face water shortages, soil degradation and, ultimately, crop and food shortages. The Drought Monitoring System based on Earth Remote Sensing Technologies for Central Asia, developed in cooperation with the Uzcosmos Agency and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), is expected to become one of the unique projects in this area.

Press Service of the Uzcosmos Agency