Uzbekistan Deploys 37 Automated Air Sensors in Karakalpakstan to Strengthen Local Health Protections

A network of monitors will feed live pollution data to regional authorities and laboratories, officials say.

Uzbek officials, working with the United Nations Development Programme, have installed 37 automated air-quality monitors across Karakalpakstan to track pollution linked to the Aral Sea disaster, regional environmental authorities announced. The devices are intended to give local health and emergency teams faster access to air measurements so they can respond more precisely to hazardous episodes.

The stations sample tiny airborne particles as well as several gases, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and hydrogen sulfide, and log weather data such as temperature, humidity, pressure and wind speed. Readings are relayed in real time through the Aurisgreentech platform, which officials say helps cut manual reporting mistakes and raises confidence in the results.

During a recent inspection, UNDP’s Uzbekistan representative, Akiko Fujii, toured the regional Situation Center where incoming data are processed and reviewed. She also visited a newly outfitted laboratory intended to analyze air, soil and water specimens to international norms. “When measurements are dependable, authorities can better protect communities and prioritize scarce resources,” Fujii told local staff during the visit.

The rollout comes ahead of a major environmental meeting in Astana from April 22 to 24 that will gather UN agencies, governments from Central Asia and Caspian partners. A World Health Organization-led ministerial session is slated to examine how pollution in the Aral region affects public health and the need for cross-border coordination on monitoring and health services.

Local health experts welcomed the upgrade but urged more public-facing reporting and community outreach. “Fewer blind spots in the monitoring network means we can focus asthma and chronic disease prevention where it’s most needed,” said Dr. Elmira Karimova, a Tashkent-based epidemiologist, adding that sustained funding and maintenance will determine whether the system delivers long-term benefits.