Toxic smoke covers Navoi city, residents report health concerns, Navoiyazot denies responsibility

Residents told Kun.uz that the city was enveloped in smoke before dawn. Some noted that similar incidents had occurred previously.

“The smell is extremely pungent, it’s causing people to cough, and it’s almost impossible to breathe. Lately, this has been happening repeatedly. We’re genuinely worried about our children’s health. We don’t know how much longer we’ll have to live in this toxic air,” said one of the complainants.

In response, Navoiyazot JSC issued an official statement denying any responsibility. According to the company, the smoke was a fine particulate haze that settled over the city during the early hours of July 19. A similar occurrence was observed on July 13.

“There are unsubstantiated and unproven claims among the public linking this situation to the operations of Navoiyazot JSC. To monitor emissions and ensure they remain within permissible limits, three automatic gas analyzers have been installed in production shops 3, 23, and 25, as well as at the company’s health resort and headquarters. A total of UZS 6.186 billion was spent on these measures. In addition, scrubbers have been installed at several towers in shops 3 and 23 to capture harmful emissions,” the statement read.

The company also reported installing more than 500 modern surveillance cameras around the plant and nearby areas. Footage from these cameras – capable of observing a 10–15 km radius from a height of 120 meters – reportedly shows that the pollution observed on July 13 and July 19 did not originate from Navoiyazot.

“The dust haze rose from the west, passed over and around the plant following wind directions, and then spread across the city,” the company said.

Meanwhile, the Navoi Regional Department of Ecology released its own official statement. It confirmed that environmental analysis was conducted jointly by its analytical laboratory and Navoiyazot’s sanitary laboratory from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. on July 19 in the vicinity of the plant.

The tests revealed that ammonia concentrations were 1.4 times above the legal limit, while hydrogen sulfide levels exceeded the norm by a factor of 16.8.

Additional analysis by the regional hydrometeorological service found elevated levels of carbon monoxide (1.04 times), ammonia (1.1 times), and at a second observation post, ammonia was measured at 1.2 times the acceptable limit.

A representative from the ecology department told Kun.uz that the specific chemical compounds found in the air are characteristic of emissions from Navoiyazot and are not typically found in local lime production facilities.

This is not the first time Navoi has been engulfed in toxic smoke. Kun.uz previously investigated similar incidents, which prompted regional governor Normat Tursunov and other officials to inspect the situation on-site.