The Government of Switzerland promotes better sanitation services in Tajikistan
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 12th October 2023 – The international Public Organization “Equitable Development” (EQUIDEV) along with the Government of Switzerland supported the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan to conduct a workshop on “Decentralized Sanitation Solutions”.
The workshop was conducted in the frame of co-financed project “Building Knowledge and Awareness on Sustainable Sanitation Solutions”. The event brought together 50 representatives from the relevant ministries and institutions, government and non-governmental organizations engaged in water supply, sanitation, hygiene, environment protection, housing and communal issues. The World Bank WASH 2017 assessment (https://rb.gy/ffkot) revealed that only 18.2 percent of the population in small towns and only 0.2 percent of the population in rural areas have access to sewer-based sanitation infrastructure and services.
“Despite the implementation of many projects and programs at improving WASH services, there are still problems in this field, especially in towns and townships of the country. Due to the old, outdated and unusable sewage systems of enterprises and institutions, especially hospitals in rural areas, waste water is not treated and, in some cases, even flows into streams and rivers, which ultimately leads to the spread and increase of infectious diseases and environmental pollution,” noted Amirzoda Abdukholik, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection.
International experts introduced and educated the participants in the global best practices for sanitation and wastewater treatment, decentralized wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) and Fecal Sludge Manage ment via presentations and interactive sessions. They identified the existing problems, the needs and the possibilities for scaling up DEWATS in the country. The participants warmly welcomed this innovative approach, however, they determined the lack of finance and limited flat lands, especially in mountainous areas, as the key challenges to apply DEWATS.
It is worth noting that, in the frame of the project, two similar workshops were conducted in Sughd and Khatlon provinces in September, as well. More information about the project: https://rb.gy/axbz3 More information about the Swiss activities in Tajikistan: www.eda.admin.ch
