Osh Water and Wastewater Rehabilitation Project financed by EBRD in cooperation with EIB and EU IFCA continues
The Osh urban water supply and wastewater systems are lagging behind both in coverage and quality. By OVK assessment, about 20% of the city population have no access to centralised water supply services and about 60% of the population have no access to sewerage. Many areas in the city covered by the centralised piped water services water supply is discontinuous, and is provided during several hours per day only, in some areas inhabitants of the upper floors of apartment buildings (above the 4th floor) receive water irregularly due to lack of pressure in the distribution network.
For 20 – 30 days a year during periods with heavy rain and high turbidity of the river Ak-Buura there is very limited supply of water. There is a problem of insufficient treatment of wastewater in the operating wastewater treatment facilities. Moreover, high infiltration to the sewer system of groundwater leads to overload of the sewage treatment facilities.
In 2011 the EBRD signed a sovereign loan agreement with the Government of Kyrgyzstan that was on-lent to the Municipality of Osh for implementation of Phase I of the Osh Water and Wastewater Rehabilitation Project.
Priority investments of Phase I of the Project were:
• Rehabilitation of WWTP Osh.
• Rehabilitation of the sewerage network(mainly laying of new pipes) of the sewerage network, 7.1 km in total.
• Rehabilitation of the drinking water network / Osh, 7.1 km in total.
• Rehabilitation of the following pumping stations:PS1, PS3/7, PS6 and PS10.
• Supply and installation of 3360 water meters for single family houses in pilot district Turan.
Phase I implementation started in June 2013 and it is over by now.
The Mayor’s Office of Osh approached the EBRD with a request to prepare Phase II which includes additional priority investment measures, not envisaged under Phase I, and which would take 3 years to implement.
In order to finance Phase II the EBRD grants €4.875 million under a Delegation Agreement with the European Union Investment Fund for Central Asia (EU IFCA) (in the amount of €4.750 million from the EU IFCA) and with the Water Fund (€0.125 million). EBRD with co-financing from the European Investment Bank provides a loan of €4.75 million (including €2.250 million co-financed by the EIB)
It is expected that upon implementation of Phase II about 84 per cent of Osh population will be connected to urban water supply, quality of drinking water will improve considerably, the level of connection of households to centralised sewage will increase. Phase II of the Project has started in summer this year, the following will be done:
• Further refurbishment of wastewater treatment infrastructure, including
Return sludge and waste activated sludge systems.
Refurbishment of existing secondary sedimentation tanks.
Refurbishment of aeration tanks.
• Rehabilitation of pumping stations PS2 (PS12), PS4 and PS8.
• About 10,000 household water meters in Amir-Temur, Ak-Tilek and Dostuk.
It is estimated that in order to achieve an acceptable level of household connection to urban water supply and centralised sewerage systems with drinking water quality and wastewater treatment level compliant with international standards, investments of up to Euro 219 million may be needed and a considerable change management of the municipal enterprise OshGorVodokanal to meet EBRD requirements to projects under implementation.
Two contracts to support Project implementation and to support further institutional strengthening in the form of operational and financial improvements and improve awareness and participation of the population were launched in August.