On January 31, the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health held a press conference to discuss measures for preventing infectious diseases in the country. During the conference, officials responded to questions about the possibility of implementing an early warning system for air pollution in Tashkent. Nurmat Otabekov addressed the question, explaining that the issue is being handled by the Scientific Research Institute of Sanitary Hygiene and Occupational Diseases in collaboration with Uzhydromet.

"The issue of monitoring air pollution levels and informing the public in advance has been raised before. People often ask why they are not warned about harmful pollutants in the air, why they are not advised to wear masks, and take other precautions. Clearly, this issue needs to be studied further. I’m not suggesting that such a system doesn’t exist at the moment," Otabekov said.

He also added that this issue could be addressed in coordination with the relevant ministries and agencies. "We need to develop a system that provides information in a way that is convenient for the public. However, based on the information I have, not all of the disseminated data is reliable. For example, I’ve lived in Tashkent for over 50 years, and I haven’t noticed sharp changes like those seen in Beijing, Tokyo, or Cairo. Nevertheless, since people are interested in this information, we must provide it," Otabekov explained.

It is worth noting that air pollution levels in Tashkent have spiked significantly during the fall and winter seasons for the past two years. In an interview with Kun.uz, experts from the Ministry of Ecology identified the main cause as coal-powered greenhouses located around the city, with smoke from these greenhouses spreading across Tashkent due to wind. A representative from the ministry also added that forecasting air pollution in the city is indeed possible.