Uzbekistan secures $82M World Bank loan for water improvements

Uzbekistan will receive $82 million in IDA credits from the World Bank to improve its public water supply, the bank said on Thursday. IDA credits are loans from the bank’s International Development Association. The money will be used to improve public water systems in the Bukhara region, specifically in the Alat and Karakul districts, by improving the utility’s financial sustainability and strengthening the capacity of water suppliers.
 
“The Alat and Karakul Water Supply Project responds to the Government’s commitment to upgrade access and quality of water supply and sanitation services in urban and rural areas,” the bank’s country manager for Uzbekistan, Takuya Kamata, said in a statement. “The Project will contribute to human development and social inclusion through improved health and productivity benefits… The project will provide benefits in increased capacity, efficiency, and accountability in public service provision, thus also improving local governance outcomes for citizens.” An approximate 220,000 Uzbek citizens stand to benefit from the project. The bank estimates that 80 percent of the population to be aided by the project has no piped water supply.

In a related development, Tajikistan's finance ministry said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will finance improvements to the water supply system with $27.5 million in funding. The funds will go towards improving the water supply system in the northern cities of Tajikistan as well as the southernmost Tajik province Khatlon, the Avesta.tj news agency reported Friday. "The main components of the project are: construction of new water tanks, repair of water mains and distribution networks, the acquisition of water meters, installation of water meters, the acquisition of operational and maintenance equipment, repair and construction of water intake, and hydrological studies," the finance ministry source told Avesta.

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