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EBRD loan and a grant from the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund help improve water and wastewater services for 29,000 people.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and international donors are continuing to upgrade water and wastewater services in the Kyrgyz Republic, thus improving people’s quality of life.

The Bank reported that new investment in Batken will address huge water losses and the urgent need to modernise water and wastewater infrastructure.

Batken is the capital of the Batken province on the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley with a population of around 29,000. The EBRD is supporting the water infrastructure modernisation with a financing package of up to €4 million. The package consists of an EBRD loan of up to €1.5 million and capital grants of €2.5 million from the multi-donor EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (SSF).

In addition, the municipal water company of Batken will receive technical cooperation support – funded by international donors – to help it implement the project and a corporate development and stakeholder participation programme.

The loan agreement was signed in Bishkek by the Minister of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, Adylbek Kasymaliev.

EBRD Head of Office, Larisa Manastirli, said: “With this new project, the total number of cities which are now able to modernise their water and wastewater services to provide safe water to people has now reached eight, and we are considering further support to smaller cities throughout the country.”

The modernisation of water and wastewater services in Kyrgyz cities is a priority for the EBRD in the country and the Bank has developed a financing facility expressly for this purpose. To date, the EBRD has invested €508 million in the country.

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