DUSHANBE, June 20, 2012, Asia-Plus – On Tuesday June 19, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officially handed over a rehabilitated drinking water system to the Bokhtar Water Service, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.
The Water Service caters to 1,900 residents of the Ismoili Somoni Township in the Bokhtar District. The Bokhtar District Chairman, Mr. Abdualim Ismoilov, and USAID’s Regional Democracy and Governance Director for Central Asia, Mr. David Hoffman, led the ceremony. Representatives of the District, Jamoat administrators, and residents of Ismoili Somoni Township were also in attendance. The project is part of USAID’s Local Development Initiative, which works in six districts of Tajikistan to improve the quality of local governance and service delivery.
Mr. Hoffman stated, “Clean and reliable sources of water for Tajik citizens have been one of USAID’s objectives for a long time – they improve health, which has a direct effect on the economic growth and stability of a region. We are happy to help the residents of Ismoili Somoni Township achieve this goal. We would also like to congratulate the Bokhtar District and its citizens for working so well together to provide significant contributions to the extension of this water system.”
Residents of Gagarina, Shevchenko, and Sino streets of the Ismoili Somoni Township and Bokhtar District officials worked together with USAID to build a 1,792 meter water pipeline to bring water to their residences. The water pipeline network supplying these streets was originally built in 1968 and had not been repaired since the 1970s. In 2008, the pipeline was completely blocked off due to leakages, and the residents have been without running water ever since. As part of this project, USAID also installed individual standpipes in households, replacing community standpipes. Residents were also offered the installation of water meters in their households, which would allow them to pay by volume of water used.
The water system will be maintained and managed by the District’s Water Service, which received technical assistance from USAID on how to ensure continuous and reliable water supply to customers. USAID will also train Jamoat representatives and water supply specialists on tariff setting, fee collection, accounting, and effective maintenance and operation of water intakes and pump facilities.
The USAID Local Development Initiative is one of many assistance projects supported by the American people through USAID. Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has provided more than $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s security, democratic institutions, social sector, and economic growth.
