Dozens of hazardous production units in Tashkent that are damaging the environment will be moved outside the city, announced the President Mirziyoyev at a government meeting  Thursday.

In the meeting were present the mayors of Tashkent city and districts. Reportedly, a number of free sites in the Tashkent province will be handed over to Tashkent Invest company and the Tashkent city industrial zone directorate for further relocation of environmentally harmful enterprises outside the city.

The Tashkent province governor, Zoyir Mirzayev said that first of all, this concerned textile and over 50 leather enterprises that are polluting the environment in the capital.

According to him, funds will be provided for the construction of communications for a leather cluster project in Akhangaran district, which has been suspended for a long period of time due to lack of funding. While, its area will increase from 15 to 35 hectares.

We will move over 50 leather processing plants from Tashkent city, he told the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.

The government will in charge of building infrastructure, while businesses will erect buildings and production units.

"Dozens of textile enterprises in Tashkent discharge wastewater, polluting the environment. A decision has been made to move 35 such industries to the specially industrial complex. The factories will operate, but without harm to the city," the governor stressed.

At a government meeting chaired by the president in March last year, plans were unveiled to gradually relocate industrial enterprises from the capital outside its borders, which "will create new opportunities for doing business in Tashkent province."

According to the World Bank, the mortality rate in Tashkent caused by exposure to PM2.5 is 3,042 cases of premature death per year. The damage to public health is estimated at $488.4 million. 83% of the capital's residents live in areas with high levels of air pollution.