DUSHANBE, July 10, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan is expected to raise water prices.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the head of Khojagii Manziliyu Komunali (State Unitary Enterprise for Housing Services), Alimurod Taghoymurodov, noted on July 10 that water prices will be gradually raised.
According to him, current price for one cubic meter of water in Tajikistan is 0.80 somoni while its cost price exceeds 2.00 somoni.
“If we fail to bring rates gradually to the cost price, our enterprise will not be able to operate properly,” Taghoymurodov said.
He noted that the low rate of the collection of funds from enterprises evoked concern. “The most incorrigible nonpayer is the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO),” said the head of the State Unitary Enterprise for Housing Services. “The company’s water debts now amount to 3.3 million somoni. Over the past two years, TALCO has not paid a diram for water consumption; we have repeatedly applied to the TALCO management but the problem has not been solved so far.”
Taghoymurodov said that they did not have any problems with the collection of funds from the public. “The public accounts for 98 percent of the overall amount of funds collected for water consumption,” Taghoymurodov noted.
He further added that the process of installation of water meters was under way in the country. “The country is currently experiencing an acute shortage of safe drinking water,” said Taghoymurodov. “At present only 51 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water.”
“Dushanbe alone now consumes 675,000 cubic meters of water per day while the Kazakh city of Almaty with population of 2 million consumers only 600,000 cubic meters per day,” he noted.
