The World Bank has approved a US$82 million loan to implement the "The Alat and Karakul Water Supply Project," which will enhance water services in Uzbekistan.
The loan is part of the 2012-2015 Country Partnership Strategy between this country and the World Bank.
13 December 2012: The World Bank has approved a US$82 million loan to improve the coverage quality and efficiency of public water supply service in Uzbekistan. Historically affected by depletion and salinization of local groundwater resources, the Alat and Karakul districts in the Bukhara region will benefit from the loan.
According to the World Bank, in these regions, 80% of the population lives in rural areas without piped water and must rely on unsafe water from irrigation channels, saline wells or expensive tanker trucks delivery. Following two decades of unfunded operations and maintenance, the goal of the project is to alleviate negative economic and health impacts by combining the restoration of existing water production, transmission and distribution infrastructure with the development of new networks in rural areas.
The loan is part of the 2012-2015 Country Partnership Strategy, which aims to support infrastructure efficiency and social inclusion elements. According to the World Bank, the four components of the project are: Improvement of Water Supply Infrastructure (US$108.6 million); Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building (US$2.21 million); Studies for Future Investments (US$0.37 million); and Project Management (US$2.34 million). [World Bank Press Release]