Over 1 million dwellers of the Kyrgyz Republic capital Bishkek will benefit from upgraded wastewater infrastructure thanks to support from the EBRD, the government of Switzerland and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). An 11-kilometre long wastewater collector pipe, the construction of which was launched today, will connect households in the southern and western part of the city with the central sewerage network. It will enhance sanitation services, improve quality of life and secure long-term sustainability of this key municipal utility.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Alain Pilloux, EBRD Vice President, Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD Managing Director for Central Asia, Olivier Bangerter, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic, Aibek Dzhunushaliev, Mayor of Bishkek City and Muradin Seidaliev, Director of the Bishkek Water company.

The construction of the wastewater collector pipe is the last component of a wider water and wastewater improvement effort to increase water supply, rehabilitate pipelines and renew the laboratory equipment for reliable water analysis in Bishkek. It is financed by an EBRD loan of €8 million to the Bishkek Water Company, supported by a €7.45 million grant from the Government of Switzerland and a US$ 1.5 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). 

The funds will be used to support 80,000 people living in poverty. They will receive cash assistance in urban areas, with a possibility to participate in creating community assets and skills trainings for better job prospects and enhanced income opportunities. This approach will ensure that not only assistance is extended to the people whose livelihoods were impacted by the Pandemic adverse effects, but also give appropriate tools to make them better prepared and resilient to the future stresses. 

WFP in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development will prioritize poor families who have lost their incomes and are forced to deplete family assets to meet their basic food needs and reduce expenses for other essential services.

“The Swiss Government and people of Switzerland are proud to stand together with Kyrgyzstan in supporting the most vulnerable people who are hit by the COVID-19 crises,” said Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic Véronique Hulmann. “Our partnership with WFP will support poorest families to sustain their livelihood through these difficult times.” 

“Thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Switzerland, WFP is able to provide cash assistance to food insecure people in the urban and semi-urban areas giving them the freedom of choice with the added value of creating demand in the local markets” - remarked Andrea Bagnoli, WFP Country Director for the Kyrgyz Republic.

In April 2020, as an immediate response, Switzerland through WFP had already allocated CHF 200’000 to support social inpatient institutions and boarding schools across the country, benefiting more than 3’000 people (orphans, elderly and people with disabilities) for three months.