The Issue

With a single reckless decision by the Uzbek authorities, over 5 million citizens suddenly found themselves held hostage to its consequences. This concerns the large-scale construction of the international tourist complex Sea Breeze Uzbekistan on the shores of the Charvak Reservoir in Tashkent Region — a project that threatens to become an environmental disaster and endanger access to clean drinking water for millions of residents.

The Charvak Reservoir was constructed in the 1970s exclusively as a source of drinking water. The original design did not anticipate residential development along its shores, let alone large-scale construction. There are no wastewater treatment facilities around the reservoir, meaning any urban or recreational development poses a direct risk of pollution to the water supply.

In a situation where Charvak remains the only stable source of drinking water for Tashkent and several surrounding areas, the implementation of the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project poses a direct threat to national water security.

The construction of such a large-scale complex would inevitably alter the landscape, lead to deforestation, and destroy the natural habitat of many species — including those already at risk of extinction.

Most critically, however, is the threat to the very existence of the drinking water source itself. The Charvak Reservoir was never intended to support intensive use by infrastructure associated with mass tourism. Pollution and increased consumption can lead to a decline in water quality and, in the long term, to water shortages.

Uzbekistan lies in a region particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change: droughts, water shortages, and land degradation are already serious challenges requiring responsible, science-based management of natural resources. Yet the current actions of the authorities repeat the mistakes of the past — including the tragic history of the Aral Sea, an environmental disaster that was ignored until it became irreversible.

We call on the international community, environmental organizations, and human rights institutions to closely monitor this situation. The construction of tourist complexes along the shores of reservoirs that supply millions of citizens with drinking water must be halted immediately. Coordinated efforts are urgently needed to pressure the Uzbek government into banning such developments near strategically critical water sources.