DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is committing new funds to address solid waste treatment issues in Tajikistan. By providing a 15-year sovereign-guaranteed loan of up to US$2 million to the state enterprise “Sanitary Cleaning of Urban Areas of Kulob”, the Bank will bring significant environmental benefits to this Tajik municipality, the EBRD said on December 29.
The loan, which will finance priority municipal investments in the city of Kulob, will be aimed at the improvement and expansion of its solid waste collection network, the procurement of associated equipment and the construction of a new sanitary landfill. It will be supported by a €1.8 million capital grant from the EU Investment Facility for Central Asia.
The project is part of Tajikistan Solid Waste Framework, approved by the EBRD Board in December 2014. It will help bring current waste management operations in Kulob closer to corresponding EU requirements. In particular it is expected to reduce environmental risks caused by uncontrolled dust emissions and effluents.
The state enterprise “Sanitary Cleaning of Urban Areas of Kulob” will benefit from the introduction of new tariff methodology, IFRS and management information systems, which improve its financial performance and overall effectiveness.
Ayten Rustamova, EBRD Head of Office in Tajikistan, said: “The Kulob solid waste project is yet another example of a positive impact which projects of this type can bring to the country. By implementing it we are addressing a multitude of issues related to modern environmental solutions for solid waste disposal and their impact on households.”
To date, the EBRD has invested over €608 million (US$ 700 million) in various sectors of Tajikistan’s economy.
