“Once the heart gets used to it…” Trees cut down again, once more in Almazar (video)

north_east

Residents concerned over tree clearing near Islamic Civilization Center

At a time when environmental issues had seemingly begun to fade from the agenda, air quality in Uzbekistan was gradually improving, people were finally breathing cleaner air, and the moratorium on tree cutting formally remained in force, new cases of tree destruction have once again been recorded. Once again, in Almazar district.

Videos showing the cutting down of more than 10 trees on the grounds of Polyclinic No. 20 in Tashkent’s Almazar district have circulated widely on social media. The incident sparked strong public outrage, prompting QALAMPIR.UZ to contact the author of the video to clarify the situation.

According to the author, the area had been green until recent years and served as an important green space for residents of nearby apartment buildings. However, after renovation work began at the polyclinic, construction waste was dumped on the site, significantly degrading the surrounding environment. The resident emphasized that the trees had played a crucial role in retaining air quality, especially during periods of heavy dust.

Several months ago, videos had already circulated showing construction debris from renovation works at the same polyclinic being thrown from upper floors, resulting in large piles of waste accumulating on the site.

“In summer, since our windows face this area, we used to feel a cool breeze. Then, for two years under the pretext of reconstruction, they filled the surroundings with garbage. This summer, we managed to have the waste removed, officials came, fines were issued, and the prosecutor’s office and internal affairs bodies intervened to clean up the area. After that, this problem started. They said they would create parking for ambulances and began cutting down trees. During the renovation, they also sprayed emulsion on the trees. When we noticed and raised an outcry, the workers disappeared. Yesterday they returned again, and just today more than 10 trees were cut down. Among them were both fruit-bearing and non-fruit trees. Officials claimed the trees were dried out. But plants go dormant in winter. The trees were not dry; they had simply shed their leaves, which is visible in the video. When we asked where the environmental permits and documents were, they said there was permission from the district ecology department and the Botanical Garden, but no documents were shown. Now even the roots are gone. An excavator was brought in to uproot everything to cover up the illegal actions. The people present here are related to construction, not ecology,” said a local resident.

It was also reported that residents were given no official explanation regarding the reasons for cutting down the trees. Initially, the work was carried out quietly. Only after the video went viral were attempts made to justify and conceal the actions.

“When I asked whether they had made an inventory, whether they planned to plant new trees, and how many trees had been cut, they falsely said four. In fact, I had already recorded at least 10 cut trees on video,” the resident added.

It should be noted that under the presidential decree adopted on November 19 this year titled “On Measures to Create a Governance System Capable of Rapidly Responding to Public Demands in the Fields of Ecology and Tourism,” territorial divisions of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change are not part of local government structures and operate independently.

According to the decree, from March 1, 2026, the adoption of any documents granting permissions in violation of environmental protection laws will be strictly prohibited. This includes issuing state environmental expertise conclusions and decisions allowing the cutting or relocation of trees and shrubs. However, this does not mean that until the law comes into force, trees can be destroyed indiscriminately without accountability.

Following widespread public discussion and criticism on social media, the Almazar district administration issued an official statement. According to the statement, some trees on the polyclinic grounds were allegedly dried out or diseased and were cut down in accordance with established procedures based on conclusions by agronomists from the district landscaping department. Healthy trees, the statement said, were not cut down but relocated to another part of the site using special equipment. As usual, however, the administration did not attach the agronomists’ conclusions confirming that the trees were diseased or dried out, leaving no opportunity to review the documents.

The statement also noted that large-scale landscaping works are planned in the area, including the planting of more than 300 perennial ornamental trees. However, the administration’s explanation did not provide specific figures or evidence regarding how many trees were relocated and how many were cut down.

Notably, on October 7 this year, healthy trees were also reported to have been cut down near the Gafur Ghulom metro station in Almazar district. On December 17, illegal tree cutting in violation of established procedures was identified on Beruniy Street.

All of this indicates that the issue of preserving trees in Almazar district remains unresolved, that public opinion is being ignored, that the presidential moratorium is being disregarded, and that public oversight is now more necessary than ever.