DUSHANBE, September 19, 2013, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a grant agreement on the Creation of Sustainability to Climate Change in the Panj River Basin Project here on September 18, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Secretariat.
The agreement was inked by Mr. Safarali Najmiddinov, Minister of Finance of Tajikistan and Mr. C. C. Yu, the ADB Country Director for Tajikistan.
We will recall that the ADB last July approved a $21.55 million grant from the Strategic Climate Fund for the project to reduce the adverse effects of climate change in 59 villages in the Panj River basin in Tajikistan.
The project will increase communities’ ability to cope with the expected increase in temperature and precipitation variability, improve access to water services, and provide information and affordable finance to improve agriculture and diversify the economy.
In selected villages, the project will implement a wide range of measures, including upgrading flood protection, irrigation, and drinking water supply; and providing microcredit for climate-resilient economic activities. It will also establish water users’ associations, and advise on efficient water management, restoration of soil fertility, and climate-resilient crops.
A total cost of the project $24.1 million, and the Government of Tajikistan has provided counterpart funding of $2.4 million and participating microfinance institutions have provided $700,000 for the project, which is due for completion in 2018.
The executing agencies are the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources, the State Unitary Enterprise for Housing and Communal Services (Khochagii Manziliyu Kommunali), and the Ministry of Finance, each responsible for different sets of measures.
