Tajikistan continues to face a range of environmental challenges, including shrinking glaciers, limited access to centralized water supplies, inadequate waste management, degraded pastures and rising transport emissions.
Over recent decades, the country’s glaciers have lost significant amounts of ice, raising concerns about long-term water security. Meanwhile, a considerable share of the population still lacks access to centralized water supply systems.
Waste management is another major concern, as most municipal solid waste landfills lack adequate infrastructure. More than 90% of the country’s natural pastures are degraded, while emissions from transport continue to increase.
Other environmental risks include limited forest cover, unresolved problems at uranium tailings sites and the growing effects of climate change. More frequent droughts and heatwaves, along with an increased risk of natural disasters, are adding to the pressure on the country’s ecosystems and communities.
At the same time, efforts to address these challenges are under way. Tajikistan has secured international climate financing, launched a large-scale afforestation program and continued work to remediate uranium-contaminated sites and restore forests. The country is also expanding its air quality monitoring network.