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Providing Affordable Water Services to Uzbekistan's Urban Poor

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (26 August 2004) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$1.5 million grant to provide affordable water services for the urban poor and conserve water resources in Uzbekistan.

The grant, from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), financed by the Government of Japan, will help the mostly poor residents of apartment buildings in the cities of Djizzak, Gulistan, and Karshi obtain better yet affordable water services.

About half the country's apartment buildings require major repairs for leaking roofs, basement flooding due to pipe corrosion, leaking water systems or poor drainage, and ineffective heating and hot water supply. These problems waste water and damage the building structure.

"Many of the causes of poor water delivery and non-functional buildings services can be solved through simple, cost-effective repairs and inexpensive preventive maintenance," says Raushan Mamatkulov, an ADB Project Specialist.

"This, however, is often problematic due to a lack of capacity and funds, and also organizational constraints."

The grant will develop and test feasible approaches to help poor urban communities, through their housing associations, to enhance water and sanitation services by improving water infrastructure investment and maintenance.

It will aim to reduce water leakage and wastage by 40% by improving plumbing fittings and raising awareness of the need for, and benefits of, water conservation.

To make the project sustainable, the project will also promote more community participation in managing water supply services.

"The project's success could serve as a model for other community-based organizations, and the experience can be replicated under the ADB-funded Urban Water Supply Project and under the Government's urban development program," says Mr. Mamatkulov.

The maintenance of state-owned apartment buildings in Uzbekistan used to be the responsibility of the Government. With the shift from a centrally controlled to a market-based economy in the early 1990s, the housing sector was privatized, leading to the growth of condominiums, which are often poorly maintained by owners who know little about housing responsibility.

The Government will contribute $90,000, and beneficiary communities will add $10,000, toward the project's total cost of $1.6 million. The Ministry of Economy will execute the grant.

The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of Y10 billion (about $90 million), followed by additional contributions of $155 million and a commitment of $50 million.

ADB is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 63 members - 45 from the region. In 2003, it approved loans and technical assistance amounting to US$6.1 billion and US$177 million, respectively.

More at adb.org/media

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