The World Bank Group Executive Directors' Council has approved an initiative aimed at strengthening cross-border cooperation in water resource management in Central Asia. Grant funding of $20 million will be provided to the Executive Committee of the International Fund for the Saving of the Aral Sea (IFAS).
The Central Asia Water and Energy Cooperation (CAWEC) project is designed to enhance regional interaction, develop new investment areas, and improve mechanisms for joint management of transboundary water resources. It is estimated that approximately 40 million people in the region will benefit directly or indirectly from this project.
According to the World Bank, Central Asian countries face a number of systemic problems. These include outdated water infrastructure, limited institutional capacity in the energy and water supply sectors, and insufficient data exchange between states in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins.
Climate change is placing additional pressure on the region's water sector. Over the past six decades, the area of glaciers in Central Asia has decreased by approximately 30%, negatively affecting water availability. The World Bank estimates that annual economic losses due to weak coordination of national water management systems exceed $4.5 billion.
Tatyana Proskuryakova, World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia, emphasized that sustainable management of shared water resources will be one of the key factors for economic growth and job creation in the medium and long term. She noted that the new project will help Central Asian countries intensify joint efforts to solve common water problems and strengthen regional partnership.
The project will be coordinated by the Executive Committee of the International Fund for the Saving of the Aral Sea in close cooperation with the fund's member states. By 2031, the project is expected to prepare up to six transboundary infrastructure projects affecting two or more Central Asian countries. These projects will focus on modernizing irrigation systems, improving water conservation and storage efficiency, and strengthening joint management of water infrastructure.
Furthermore, the project includes the digitalization of water accounting systems and the updating of information systems in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. Training for up to 100 specialists from regional water resource management organizations is also planned, along with conducting activities to build professional capacity, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support joint research in the region.
Additional funding of $1.3 billion has been planned in Uzbekistan for the further development of water supply and sewage infrastructure. The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, participated in a presentation dedicated to the development of drinking water supply and wastewater disposal systems.
In the coming years, state bodies aim to raise the coverage of centralized water supply to 90% and the urban sewage system to 80%. Over the past years, investments in this area have increased tenfold, reaching a volume of $2.7 billion. Thanks to these investments, the share of the population provided with centralized drinking water supply has grown from 63% in 2017 to nearly 83%.
During this period, 7.7 million residents gained access to water for the first time, the quality of supply improved for 11 million people, and 1.1 million residents were connected to the sewage system. The total length of constructed and repaired networks includes 39 thousand kilometers of water pipelines and 3,200 kilometers of sewage networks.
To achieve the set goals, additional funds of $1.3 billion need to be attracted. However, the president noted that the current system for preparing and implementing projects does not provide sufficient operational speed to solve accumulated problems. For example, 107 billion soms were recently allocated to address sewage problems in Andijan, and work has begun in the Sergeli district of Tashkent to install modern filters to combat unpleasant odors.
Special attention is paid to the project of supplying drinking water from the Tupalang reservoir. Water pipelines have already been extended to Termez, and by the end of the year, it is planned to supply Sherabadsky, Muzrabadsky, Angorsky, and Jarkurgansky districts of Surkhandarya region with water. At the meeting, the task was set to provide centralized water supply to another 513 mahallas and improve the water supply quality in 3,000 mahallas. Authorities also intend to replace 232 thousand water distribution columns with direct household connections to the networks.
By the end of the current year, projects totaling $600 million are expected to be implemented in the country. These projects include the construction of 1,600 kilometers of water pipelines and 387 kilometers of sewage networks, as well as the construction of 80 water supply facilities and 29 sewage facilities. As a result of this work, 310 thousand residents of 107 mahallas will receive centralized drinking water supply for the first time, and the water supply quality for 2.5 million people in 453 mahallas will significantly improve.
Furthermore, the president ordered the acceleration of the implementation of a $217 million project related to supplying drinking water from the Ghissarak reservoir in Kashkadarya region. After the completion of this project, residents of Kamashinsky, Guzarsky, and Karshinsky districts, as well as the city of Karshi itself, will be provided with quality water supply. It was also ordered to accelerate the signing of credit and grant agreements for projects in Fergana, Surkhandarya, and Jizzakh regions, and to complete negotiations with foreign partners on six projects totaling $317 million by September 1.
