Dushanbe, Tajikistan, April 10, 2021 – Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan, visited the southern Khatlon region today to discuss the progress of the World Bank-financed Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project and development challenges in this sector. He met with the region’s Deputy Chairman Mirzozoda Nizom and visited a number of water facilities to be rehabilitated with project funds in an effort to provide improved water supply to rural residents.
“Efforts to provide safe drinking water to households country-wide require a strong focus on both priority investments and complementary institutional reforms,” said Jan-Peter Olters. “Pipelines, pumping stations, and irrigation systems are expensive, given Tajikistan’s geography, and modernizing public water utilities is complex. For this reason, close and consistent collaboration with national and regional governments is critical, as is the joint work with water service providers and development partners.”
The Country Manager visited the water intake in Levakand district and facilities in Kushoniyon and Dusti to be rehabilitated under the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project. Investments in these and other key infrastructure of the Vakhsh inter-district water supply system will substantially improve the quality of water supply services for the current population of 170,000 people, who reside in the five districts of Khatlon.
Overall, thanks to the project, around 400,000 people in Khatlon will gain access to safer drinking water and around 100,000 people, mainly children, will benefit from investments in sanitation facilities and hygiene training in schools. Sanitation facilities in about 200 schools and rural health centers will be constructed or rehabilitated. In partnership with UNICEF, the project will provide comprehensive extracurricular activities to promote the adoption of improved hygiene practices in schools.
In February 2019, the World Bank approved a grant of $58 million from the International Development Association for the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project. The project will finance infrastructure improvements to connect rural households in the Khatlon region to basic water supply services and improve the quality of water supply services for existing connections. Seven districts of Khatlon are covered by the project - Vakhsh, Levakand (Sarband), Kushoniyon (Bokhtar), Dusti (Jilikul), Balkhi (Rumi), Jayhun (Qumsangir) and Vose. The Khatlon region is home to the highest proportion of people living in poverty and deprived of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions.
Apart from infrastructure investments, the project is supporting ongoing water-sector reforms by strengthening water utilities in target districts. The branches of the State Unitary Enterprise "Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali" will be restructured and strengthened to improve the quality of its service delivery. Also, to increase access to water and sanitation services countrywide, the project will support the development of the State Program on Drinking Water Supply and Wastewater for the period 2021–30.
The World Bank’s active portfolio in Tajikistan includes 16 country and regional projects with a net commitment of over $868 million. The World Bank remains committed to supporting Tajikistan as it strives to improve the lives of its people and meet the aspirations of its young and growing population.
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For more information on World Bank projects and activities in Tajikistan, please visit: www.worldbank.org/tj
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