Water is the source of life
On April 9, 2019, the official opening ceremony of the water supply system was held for more than 2134 residents of the Joon-Kungoi village of the Kurmanbek ayil aymak in Jalal-Abad region. The implemented Service Improvement Action Plan was supported by the Public Service Improvement project, funded by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by HELVETAS and Development Policy Institute.
In the framework of the project, focus groups with vulnerable groups were held to identify priority problems and present them at a broader meeting of AA. Through discussion, priority issues were selected from the problems included in the joint action plan. One of them aimed at the clean water supply for the population of Joon-Kungoi village.
By order of the head of the Kurmanbek ayil okmotu D. Bakirov, a working group was created to develop an action plan to improve the provision of clean drinking water to the population of Joon-Kungoi, which later won the competition for the “Best-prepared SIAP” conducted by the Public Service Improvement project.
During the SIAP implementation, a pipeline system with a length of 2,866 meters was built in Joon-Kungoi village, a new tank of 150 m3 was built, a well 150 meters deep was cleaned, a new ECV 6 / 16-140 submersible pump was installed, a bactericidal plant was built. As a result, now, each household is connected to the clean drinking water system. Public water pumps are no longer used, each household is equipped with a water meter, and a fee for used water is charged in accordance with it. Which in turn ensures transparency of water supply and water consumption. Before the project arrived in Joon-Kungoi, the population was not provided with drinking water, the residents used to consume groundwater, which is salty in taste.
The total cost of the project calculated at 5 034 194 KGS, out of which 3 200 956 KGS was the grant amount and 1 833 238 KGS was the own contribution of the aiyl okmotu. Water pipeline had been laid to each household of the Joon-Kungoi village. Currently, 418 households i.e. more than 2134 inhabitants of the village are provided with drinking water 24 hours a day.
To ensure the sustainability of the service, a tariff was developed and raised in a public hearing by residents of Kurmanbek AA and through discussions held, a tariff in the amount of 26 som per 1 cubic meter of clean drinking water was established. The tariff was approved at the session of the Kurmanbek local council. A cooperation agreement on water provision services has been signed between the AO and CDWUU, as well as between the CDWUU and drinking water consumers. More than 2134 residents of the Kurmanbek aiyl aymak gained access to clean drinking water, thanks to the commissioning of a new system. To ensure the sustainability of this service, the municipality has mastered innovative management mechanisms, such as outsourcing and calculating reasonable tariffs.
Zhomankarayev Omor, a resident of Joon-Kungoi village, noted the following: “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was no clean drinking water service in our village, people used groundwater, which was pumped out from 5-10 m depth with a water pump. But the ground water was salty and, of course, did not meet sanitary requirements. Currently, with the support of the “Public Service Improvement” project, great work has been completed on the provision of this service, as a result of which pipes have been laid in every household, water meters have been installed and residents now started receiving water 24 hours a day. We created conditions according to modern standards and installed washing machines, water heaters and showers in our houses. The availability, quality and sustainability of the water supply meet the expectations of the residents.”
To create favorable conditions for the employees of CDWUU, a well-equipped office was provided for them, as well as a special program for their work with the subscribers. A generator, a toolbox with metal locks and an apparatus for welding of plastic pipes DWP-1500,1500W were purchased to ensure the uninterrupted provision of water. It is important to understand that service improvement is an ongoing process. It is not limited to the purchase of new equipment and the repair of a building or water supply system. The most important thing is the good management skills of the service on the part of local governments, which guarantee the quality of the service provided, its availability to all residents of the municipality and its sustainability. The goal of the Swiss grant, which was complemented by a local contribution, is to respond to urgent needs in developing mechanisms that strengthen relations between citizens and municipalities, increase the accountability of local governments and ensure the sustainability of infrastructures financed by the project.
