DUSHANBE, January 24, Asia-Plus — Some $1 billion are needed to provide residents of Dushanbe with safe drinking water and ensure regular work of the city’s water supply system, Deputy Dushanbe Mayor, Rustam Rahmatov, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 23.
According to him, implementation of the World Bank projects for rehabilitation of the Dushanbe water supply system is under way. They have to date spent 90 percent of $20 million provided to support these projects, according to him.
The deputy mayor said that the spent funds had gone to purchasing and installing equipment necessary for chlorinating the city’s water supply, rehabilitating sand filter bed at one of water-intake facilities of Dushanbe, and replacing ageing water pipes, as well as supporting and providing technical assistance to the project management.
He reminded that another donor to support rehabilitation of the Dushanbe water supply system was the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which had provided $10 million. “However, these funds have not yet come in the country,” Rahmatov said.
“Another problem is delayed payments for water consumption,” the deputy mayor said, noting that the rate of the collection of funds from the public last year was only 70-75 percent.
According to Dushanbe’s municipal waterworks Dushanbevodokanal (DVK), the public water debts have to date amounted to 3.754 million somonis (equivalent to more than $1 million).
