ADB, Uzbekistan sign agreement on improving water supply in Tashkent region
By Trend
Vice-President of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Shixin Chen and Uzbekistan Deputy Prime Minister, ADB Governor for Republic of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiyev signed loan agreements for the Horticulture Value Chain Infrastructure Project and the Second Tashkent Province Water Supply Development Project during ADB Annual Meeting in Fiji, Trend reports with reference to ADB.
At the bilateral meeting, VP Chen and Ganiyev also discussed the upcoming country partnership strategy for Uzbekistan, the 2019 assistance pipeline, and regional cooperation projects.
As Trend reported earlier, the Asian Development Bank has approved $105.3 million loan to help rehabilitate and expand the regional water supply system in the Yangiyul and Chinaz districts of Tashkent province in Uzbekistan delivering safe potable water to over 220,000 people.
Tashkent province, Uzbekistan’s largest and most economically advanced region generating almost 25 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, suffers from pervasive urban service limitations, particularly in water supply and sanitation (WSS).
The Second Tashkent Province Water Supply Development Project will finance the rehabilitation and improvement of the VU-1 regional water supply system in Tashkent Province.
This includes the construction of 65 kilometers of transmission mains; 27 km of distribution mains; 540 km of distribution network; 37 water reservoirs; 22 water distribution centers; 5 pressure towers; 2 administration buildings; 2 water quality laboratories; 37,500 metered water supply connections; and 4,000 individual wastewater disposal systems. This is a first project of this kind in Uzbekistan.
ADB’s assistance covers the initiation of smart technology features including supervisory control and data acquisition, geographic information system, and meters for improved billing and increased revenue. This is on top of a pilot public-private partnership initiative to invite private contractors to carry out operation and maintenance of water supply facilities in some settlements.
Total cost of the project is $124.7 million, with the Government of Uzbekistan contributing $19.4 million. The project is expected to be completed by August 2025.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 member states, and 49 of them are from the region. In 2018, ADB's total commitments reached $35.82 billion, including $14 billion in co-financing.
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