On January 31st the World Bank’s executive board approved $7.64m in additional financing for its ‘Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Development’ project in Kyrgyzstan. This funding tops up the World Bank’s earlier commitment of $59.5m for the project, aimed at improving water supply and sanitation services in rural communities.
Naveed Hassan Naqvi, the World Bank’s country manager for Kyrgyzstan, said that the project will improve the quality of life of rural citizens, especially women, children and the most vulnerable, and will bring a major decrease in water-borne diseases.
The total combined investments under the project are expected to reach 94 villages in the Osh, Chui and Issyk-Kul regions, and directly benefit some 200,000 people, the World Bank said.
The project funds the construction and rehabilitation of 57 climate-resilient water supply subprojects, aiming to enhance both climate adaptation and mitigation by diversifying water supply sources, increasing storage capacity, replacing key assets and installing water meters. It will also retrofit sanitary facilities in 99 social institutions and provide small grants to 1,350 households to upgrade their sanitation facilities.
The project will also enhance national and local institutional capacity for sustainable service delivery and climate-informed sector reforms, including the revision of water supply and sanitation laws.
Odete Muximpua, the World Bank’s senior water supply and sanitation specialist, commented: “The second additional financing will address the financing gap caused by increased construction material prices as a result of the economic crisis. It will also allow for an increase in the size of grants to poor households in all project villages to finance the upgrades of their sanitation facilities.”
