Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- From 24 to 26 November, Uzbekistan will host Mapathon, a large-scale mapping event, with the participation of more than 120 volunteers and industry experts for the first time. 

The main goal of the initiative will be to collect up-to-date data on the state of drinking water supply and sewerage systems in Yangiyul region.

A mapathon, or Map-a-thon, is a coordinated mapping event aimed at evaluating and improving geographic information systems. In the context of the current project, the main tasks include determining the actual coverage of the water supply and sewerage system in the Yangiyul region, as well as populating the database of Uzsuvtaminot JSC through visits to mahallas and conducting household surveys.

The organizers of this unique event were the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President, JSC Uzsuvtaminot, and Inha University in Tashkent. The event is financially supported by Geo2 and Inttech.

The event is of particular importance in light of the growing problem of water scarcity in Central Asia, as well as in the context of the President’s speeches and the recent Resolution No. PP-343 of 24 October 2023. 

Within Yangiyul district, about 220 thousand people live in 38,705 residential and 229 apartment buildings. According to official data, the level of drinking water supply to the population is 75%, but four mahallas are faced with a lack of water supply.

Mapathon aims to support the efforts of government programs and Asian Development Bank loans, covering various mahallas in different phases of projects.

Mapaton is also intended to contribute to the development of the geoinformation field in the country. The organizers invited volunteers from leading universities in the country, such as the National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent State Technical University, Tashkent University of Information Technologies, Inha University in Tashkent, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers.

Over two days of the mapathon, 10 teams will collect information on 550 street sections in 64 mahallas of the Yangiyul district. The results will be used to create a database, and the best team will be recognized at the closing ceremony of the mapathon on 26 November 2023