AKIPRESS.COM - An EBRD loan of US$ 2.5 million to Khujand’s municipal solid waste management company, Khizmatrasonii Naqliyoti Sanitari, as well as a capex grant of another US$ 2.5 million from the EBRD’s Shareholder Special Fund (SSF) have transformed and future-proofed Khujand's solid waste management infrastructure, the EBRD reported.

Solid waste management was one of those vital public services that suffered in Khujand, the second largest city in Tajikistan, after years of competing needs and decreasing public funds.

“People were burning the waste, because it used to accumulate in large quantities on the streets. The waste collection trucks were not collecting rubbish often enough. This was causing health hazard to all of us,” said Jannatoi, mother to four children.

A major achievement has been the modernisation and extension by a minimum of 15 years of the longevity of the landfill, the first of its type in Tajikistan to comply with EU standards.

The collection of solid waste has also been improved with the provision of new containers, new waste collection points and the procurement of modern and safer collection trucks.

In addition, technical assistance, worth US$ 940,000, for a feasibility study, project implementation, corporate development and stakeholder participation programme was funded by the European Union, the EBRD’s Early Transition Countries Fund (ETC Fund)* and the EBRD’s SSF.

Among other benefits, the project introduced subsidies for low-income households by the city as part of the social protection scheme, a wide public awareness campaign and a reliable information management system to monitor the billings.