DUSHANBE, December 21, Asia-Plus — On Friday December 21, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and Mr. Hiroshi Takashi, Chargé d’Affaires, the Embassy of Japan in Dushanbe, exchanged notes concerning the General Grant Aid of the Government of Japan for the project for the rehabilitation of the road from Qurghon Teppa, the capital of the Khatlon province, to Dusti, the administrative center of Khatlon’s Qumsangir district, and project for enhancement of water supply in Khatlon’s Hamadoni district, press release issued by the Japanese Embassy in Dushanbe said.
Press release, in particular, says the significance of Tajikistan’s transport network is immense in further enhancing intra-regional cooperation as well as increasing the potentials for cooperation on the international level. The importance of improving the transport routes from Central Asia to the south, which will contribute to the prosperity of landlocked countries in the region, is also emphasized in the Action Plan of Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue under which all Central Asian countries realized the importance of promoting transport system.
The Qurghon Teppa-Dusti road is a 59-kilometer section of the important route Dushanbe-Nizhniy Panj–Afghanistan – Pakistan. The Government of Japan allocated ¥63 million (equivalent to $ 557, 029) for undertaking the detailed design for rehabilitation of this part of the road, which links to the Dusty-Nizhniy Panj section of 27.4 kilometers, currently rehabilitated under the Grant Assistance of the Government of Japan.
The ¥49 million (equivalent to $ 433, 244) Japan Grant Assistance is provided to fund the detailed design of the project for enhancement of water supply in Hamadoni aimed to enhance the portable water supply facilities in this District of Khatlon Region, which will have a huge benefit for its population as they will have access to pure and quality portable water. The renovated water supply facilities will significantly contribute to the reduction of waterborne diseases which are widely spread in the South of Tajikistan and serve as one of the major factors of poor health and main constraint for sustainable development in this part of the country.
Since 1993, the Government of Japan has extended over US$ 93 million in grant and technical assistance for the development of diverse sectors of economy, agriculture, education, healthcare, culture, as well as human resources potential of the Republic of Tajikistan.
