Introduction

Since independence in 1991, the GOUZ has been striving to improve the living conditions and protecting public health through the improvement of the Water Supply & Sanitation Services (WSS.) At appraisal time, there was a dire need for rehabilitating and upgrading the obsolete status of sanitation equipment and infrastructure. The Water Supply & Sanitation (WSS) equipment in Tashkent was not only old, but also was designed with little attention to efficiency.

With time and obsolescence, efficiency has been further deteriorating. For instance, annual electrical energy costs expressed as a percentage of total annual operational costs represented in 2008 as much as 49% for the water utility Suvsoz, whereas the same ratio was about 29% in Astana, Kazakhstan,10% in Tbilisi, and in Tirana, Albania. Upon project completion, a noticeable decrease was recorded in power consumption of the 03 rehabilitated Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs).

Water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector in Uzbekistan has been neglected over the years, because of limited investment in addition to poor maintenance of the infrastructure and equipment. The latter was constructed about fifty years ago, and largely exceeded it's useful life. 

Cognizent of the infrastructure gap which worsened over time, the government initiated a series of reforms including the opening up of the sector to external funding and private sector participation. 

Objectives

The main objective was the output of three WWTP's (Waste Water Treatment Plants), namely Salar, Bozsu and Bektemir. The rehabilitation work for Salar and Bozsu comprised supply and installation of both non standard equpment like screens, sedimentation tanks, scrapers, sludge collection systems and standard equipment like pumps, blowers and electrical switch gears. 

The project is in line with lsDB's strategic agenda, which focuses on fostering the social impact of IsDB financing, and gives priority to poverty alleviation and infrastructure development. It is well anchored with the Bank's 1440 Vision calling on IsDB to address nine key strategic thrusts one of which is "prospering the people" through sustained economic growth. Although the SDGs were approved few years later, in 2015, the project was aligned with number of them, and notably SDG6 on access to safe sanitation, and SDG11 related to sustainable cities and communities.

Positive Impact

• Improved living conditions of 400,00 city dwellers in the northern region through a better access to the sewerage network. 
• Satisfactorily served 90% of 2.5 million Tashkent population, including the residents of the new housing complexes estimated at 400,00 persons.
• 11 new screens supplied and installed at Salar treatment plant.
• 8 primary and 20 secondary sedimentation tanks were rehabilitated. 
• 11,654m of new aeration pipes were supplied and installed in order to improve the aeration system.
• Concrete work was rehabilitated.