DUSHANBE, March 18, 2013, Asia-Plus – On Tuesday March 19, the Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation Project (TajWSS) will officially hand over a drinking water supply project to the Roudaki district administration and the local Rohati jamoat.
According to press release issued by TajWSS, Mr. Khairullo Ibodzoda, head of ecology and emergency department at President’s Executive Office Mr. Rahmat Bobokalonov, Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Resources Mr. Saidmurod Taghoev, chairman of the Roudaki district, Mr. Shodi Komilov, head of Rohati jamoat, Mr. Khurshed Safarov, director of the community based service provider, Mr. Peter Mikula, SDC Country Director and Ghazi Kelani, Country Director of Oxfam in Tajikistan are invited to attend the handover ceremony.
The Rohati project will provide water to 7,800 people in Navobod, Dovai Bolo, Dovai Rokhati, Nilkon and Mehtari villages, located in the Rohati jamoat, Roudaki district. The newly completed water system includes 20 km of pipes, 137 communal stand-taps, a 165 cubic meter reservoir, a spring catchment and protection, and chlorination facilities.
This event is the first of 6 project handovers scheduled for 2013. The 6 projects combined, will provide drinking water to over 22,000 people.
Rohati jamoat desperately needed the construction of new water supply systems. The existing infrastructure was built in 1973. The Sovkhoz (Soviet era local government structure – state farm) was responsible for the operation and maintenance work. After the collapse of USSR, the system was left without an owner or operator which led to the collapse of the system. In the project area, more than 70% of the population had no access to drinking water, whilst the remaining 30% received an unreliable supply of untreated water.
Rohati’s jamoat will own the new water supply systems. The jamoat will contract the management of the systems to a Community-Based operator (water user association – WUA). Dividing the ownership and operation of water systems, has proved to be an effect method of ensuring long-term sustainability. The Government of Tajikistan states that the most effective way to operate rural water supply systems is through WUAs. The WUAs will receive technical assistance and training from the TajWSS project and the local authorities.
The WUA of Rohati jamoat first presented the project to the TajWSS local and national network members in September 2011, whereby it received approval. The project followed every step of the new administrative procedures for obtaining a construction permit, i.e. the ‘Single Window’. All legal requirements for obtaining construction permission have been followed, ensuring that ownership can be officially transferred to the local authorities – a precondition for the system’s long-term sustainability.
The Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) Project is funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation. SDC is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
The Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) Project is implemented by Oxfam.
