Irrigation water rate rose 150 percent in Tajikistan starting from January 1, 2024.
The director of the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation under the Government of Tajikistan, Zafarbek Davlatzoda, announced this at a news conference in Dushanbe today.
“The price for one cubic meter of irrigation water has increased from 0.002 somoni to 0.005 somoni,” Dalatzoda noted.
Recall, top managers of the State Unitary Enterprise (SUE) Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali (KMK – the state holding company for public utilities) told reporters in Dushanbe on January 29 that the authorities are discussing the issue of raising tariffs for utilities and water supply.
Utility workers propose to raise tariffs for their services by 15%-20%. However, there is no specific information about when new tariffs will be approved and announced.
Currently, information on utility prices has been removed from the KMK’s official website.
Tariffs for waste removal and water supply still remain unchanged. They were last changed in 2015 (solid waste removal rates were raised) and in 2018 (drinking water and sewerage rates were raised).
Recall, current rates for one cubic meter of drinking are 1.09 somonis for residential customers, 2.02 somonis for federally funded institutions and 3.48 somonis for commercial organizations.
Meanwhile, current sewer bills (for one cubic meter) are 0.55 somoni for residential customers, 1.09 somonis for federally funded institutions and 1.88 somonis for commercial organization.
If there are meters, then subscribers will pay according to their readings.
KMK Director-General Usmon Davlatzoda noted at the news conference that 66 percent of the country’s population, or 6,741,676 people, had access to the centralized water supply system last year, which is reportedly 6.3 percent, or 1,618,000 people, more than in 2022.
