10 billion somoni needed to fully provide Tajikistan with safe drinking water

AKIPRESS.COM - Tajikistan's national program on improvement access of population to safe drinking water that was launched in 2008 will conclude in 2020, Asia - Plus reports.
"Since 2008, Tajikistan has taken a big step forward in this direction due to a number of projects implemented under financial support of international financial organization," Jamshed Tabarzoda, the head of the State Unitary Enterprise (SUE) Khojagii Manziliyu Kommunali (KMK -- housing and communal services), told reporters in Dushanbe on July 29.
When the program was launched only 43 percent of the country's population has access to safe drinking water , while now this figure is over 62 percent, KMK head noted. .
He further noted that the problem of improving access of population to safe drinking water in rural areas was being solved slowly.
"Currently, only 38 percent of rural households has access to safe drinking water in Tajikistan," Tabarzoda said.
He noted that a new project of the World Bank aimed at supporting access to safe drinking water in remote regions of Tajikistan would be launched soon.
According to him, the World Bank has approved $58 million in grant financing for implementation of that project.
"Besides, a number of projects on rehabilitation of water supply system have been implemented in the country under financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)," Tabarzoda said.
According to estimates of KMK specialists, 10 billion somoni (TJS) are needed to fully provide Tajikistan's population with safe drinking water.
For the purpose of improving access to safe drinking water in the regions more than 20 water supply facilities are expected to be built in Tajikistan by 2021.