DUSHANBE, March 14, 2014, Asia-Plus – On Thursday March 13, Abduasalom Qurbonov, Minister of Finance of Tajikistan and Peter Mikula, Country Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan signed here the agreement on granting financial and technical assistance for two projects within the Tajikistan Sughd Province Water and Wastewater Program.
According to the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan, the total Swiss contribution to improving water supply in Sughd province amounts to around USD 18 million. The projects are co-funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) through a loan of about USD 12 million.
Switzerland and EBRD have reportedly been successfully cooperating on water projects in Tajikistan since 2004, when the Phase I of the Khujand Water Supply Project was launched. The Phase I yielded promising results and gave a solid basis for approving the Phase II in 2008 which aimed at improving the water supply system, including the provision of individual water meters in the remaining 70% of the city as well as a financial and operational performance improvement program for the Khujand water company. In December 2011, Switzerland approved the North Tajik Water Rehabilitation Project covering six cities in northern Tajikistan and Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
As a result of Phase I and II, the whole city of Khujand enjoys reliable 24h/day water supply. This fact prompted the Tajik Government to approach EBRD with request to develop an Integrated Program Approach in the Water Sector in order to replicate the very successful “Khujand model” in secondary cities throughout Tajikistan. The objectives of the Integrated Approach are to provide urgently needed water infrastructure to selected cities in Tajikistan in combination with sector wide reform support to create operationally and financially sustainable water supply companies in the country.
Based on the excellent cooperation and tangible outcomes in previous joint projects EBRD asked the Swiss Government to participate in the two new projects: Khujand Waste Water Treatment Project Phase III and North-West Tajik Project Phase II (Panjakent, Istaravshan, Zafarobod, Shahriston). The overall objective of the Sughd Province Water and Wastewater Program is to improve the living conditions and economic opportunities for the population of the secondary cities of lstaravshan, Panjakent, Shahriston and Zafarobod, and of Khujand. This includes access to water and waste water treatment respectively as well as better hygiene. Both Projects will work towards improving water supply and waste water coverage respectively at affordable costs for the population of Sughd province. Besides, efforts will be made to ensure sustainable, both in financial and operational terms, operation of water supply and wastewater systems, as well as to promote water saving and better hygienic practices among the population.
Both projects are scheduled to complete by end of 2017.
Within its Cooperation Strategy 2012-2015 Switzerland focuses on the most performing and effective sectors in Tajikistan as Health, Rule of Law, Water Supply and Sanitation, Private Sector Development. The overall goal for the Swiss Cooperation in Tajikistan is to support the transition process in Tajikistan by contributing to the economic development and by helping to build institutions and systems which are responsive to the population’s needs.
