Access to drinking water plays an important role in ensuring a healthy and quality life. In Uzbekistan, special attention is paid to this issue and targeted projects are being implemented. In 2017-2022, more than 25.3 thousand kilometers of water supply networks and over 1.8 thousand water facilities worth 12 trillion UZS were built or reconstructed. 6.5 million people got access to a centralized water supply for the first time, and the provision of drinking water to more than 4 million people improved. In general, today the level of centralized provision of the population with drinking water is 70 percent.
The Development Strategy for 2022-2026 sets a goal to increase the coverage of centralized drinking water supply to 87 percent and upgrade the sewerage system in 155 district centers. Part of this work are projects planned in Surkhandarya, Namangan and Tashkent regions.
There is a reason for these regions to be in the spotlight. Thus, in Chust, Pap, Namangan and Muzrabad districts, the supply of drinking water is 50 percent, which is worse compared to other districts. The existing water supply networks are outdated. The incidence of gastrointestinal and urological diseases has increased due to water hardness, which has increased by 1.5 times.
Sewer coverage does not reach 60 percent in the cities of Yangiyul, Angren, Chirchik, Almalyk and Bekabad. This figure is 3 percent in Chust and Chinaz districts, while such networks do not exist at all in Mingbulak district. At the same time, in recent years, a lot of new housing has been built in these districts and cities, and the population has grown.
During the presentation, the responsible persons provided information on these projects.
The projects are planned to be implemented in Muzrabad district of Surkhandarya region, 4 districts of Namangan region, 7 cities and districts of Tashkent region, covering 1.2 million people. 590,000 residents will get access to drinking water supply and sewerage services for the first time, and 595,000 people will have better access to drinking water.
Discussing the technical and economic aspects of the projects, the President asked if there were enough water sources for them. He underlined the need to include in projects access to water resources in an amount that will last at least 30 years.
Recommendations were also given to reduce the cost of construction. In particular, it was noted that it is possible to reduce costs by 10 percent by purchasing 80 percent of materials from local manufacturers.
Another important issue is ensuring the return on investment. In many places, the receipt of payments for the consumption of drinking water is insufficient. Accounts receivable in Namangan, Surkhandarya and Tashkent regions reached 210 billion UZS.
An instruction was given to use energy-efficient equipment, reduce costs and losses during water transportation. The importance of digitalization of all processes, ensuring the receipt of payments, working in the context of mahallas was noted.
