Developing the sanitation systems of secondary cities in the regions of Navoi and Kashkadarya, in Uzbekistan

The government has identified the development of sanitation systems in secondary cities as a major challenge. It aims at making densely populated small cities more attractive for rural populations tempted to emigrate to the capital or abroad, as well as for tourism and for agribusiness.

In connection with the development of integrated water resource management, the government sees in the expansion of collective sanitation the opportunity to reuse urban wastewater for irrigation after treatment.

The aim of the project is to set up a modern collective sanitation system in each of the cities of Karmana, Kitob and Shakhrisabz. It includes construction work combined with a significant capacity-building component.

The work will consist of building a centralized wastewater treatment system in each of the three cities, including the installation of connections and collectors, the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, as well as the installation of a discharge system for treated wastewater compatible with its reutilization in irrigation.

The European Union grant will enable capacity-building actions:

• technical assistance for the implementation of the planned activities;
• technical assistance to support the sectoral dialogue between the Uzbek administration and the donors for this particular sector and, in parallel, to evaluate the project on an ongoing basis;
• the project will also include a significant capacity-building component for the two regional water companies that will operate the infrastructure.

On a national level, the expected effect is to support the government’s public policies in terms of land use planning, the development of integrated water resource management adapted to climate change, and the strengthening of public hygiene, particularly in order to prevent new pandemics of the Covid-19 type.