USAID Increases Access to Clean Water in Sughd

According to a press release on its website, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has rehabilitated a drinking water supply system in Soycha Village of the Bobojon Gafurov District. The system will now provide 3,246 residents, including a medical facility, with safe drinking water. USAID provided technical assistance to improve the village’s water management capacities, support physical upgrades to the system, and work with the community to help them better understand the benefits of having clean water piped directly to their homes. At the inauguration of the supply system on October 6, USAID Tajikistan Mission Director Peter Riley said, “We believe that everyone has the right to clean drinking water. Today, we can celebrate a tangible improvement of the water supply system in Soycha Village. I have seen houses using water meters, and talked with households about what it means to have reliable access to water.” The U.S. Government will continue to increase access to safe drinking water across all regions of Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan said. In the last five years, USAID has rehabilitated and constructed 25 drinking water supply systems throughout the country, providing more than 80,000 people with safe drinking water.

Relatives of Exiled Tajik Activists Arrested

As per RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, Tajik authorities have apprehended relatives of several self-exiled activists following an incident where President Emomali Rahmon's vehicle was targeted with eggs during his visit to Berlin last week. The activists said that family members of Sharofiddin Gadoev, Dilshod Sharifov, Ismoil Mahmadov, Jamshed Sharifov, Behruz Taghoizoda, and Muhammadjon Abdulloev—all affiliated with the opposition Group 24—were taken into custody over the weekend on unspecified charges. The incident involving Rahmon’s car occurred while he and leaders from four other Central Asian nations were in Berlin on August 29 for discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.