USAID Boosts Access to Water and Sanitation in Khatlon Region

Khatlon, Tajikistan, October 6, 2022 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Aga Khan Foundation’s (AKF) joint Thrive Tajikistan program inaugurated two new drinking water supply systems and school latrines in two villages of Qubodiyon and Shahritus districts. The drinking water supply systems will provide clean, reliable water to households of over 10,000 people, and the new latrines will provide access to improved sanitation to over 1,500 schoolchildren and teachers.

The five-year (2018-2023) Thrive Tajikistan: Partnership for Socio-Economic Development program is just one of several partnerships between USAID and AKF that targets improving the quality of life for people in all 16 districts of Tajikistan along the country’s border with Afghanistan in Khatlon Region and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast.

To date, Thrive Tajikistan has constructed seven drinking water supply systems and seven school latrines in Farkhor, Hamadoni, Panj, Qubodiyon, Roshtqala, and Shahritus districts that provide 22,774 people with access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation and hygiene services to 4,924 people. Before the construction, these people were consuming unsafe water from shallow wells, rivers, and canals, often resulting in waterborne diseases. Overall, the program will construct 15 water supply systems that serve more than 41,000 people and 15 school latrines for more than 8,500 schoolchildren and teachers.

To ensure all of these results are sustainable, USAID and AKF launched community outreach campaigns to discuss the importance of paying for services and to encourage better sanitation and hygiene practices. In response, households, as well as public and private institutions, have agreed to pay a modest water tariff, and the project has worked closely with the State Unitary Enterprise, Khojagii Manziliyu Komunali, to improve their capacity to operate and maintain the systems.

USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. Since 1993, USAID has partnered with the Government of Tajikistan to strengthen good governance, boost economic growth, improve education, health, food security and bolster regional economic connectivity. For more information, visit the USAID/Tajikistan website: https://www.usaid.gov/tajikistan and the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/usembassy.dushanbe/