President Mirziyoyev instructs to improve drinking water supply system 

According to the press service of the head of state, in 2017-2022, more than 25.3 thousand kilometers of water supply networks and over 1.8 thousand water facilities worth 12 trillion soums were built or reconstructed. As a result, 6.5 million people gained access to centralized water supply for the first time, and the provision of drinking water to more than 4 million people improved. In general, today the level of centralized provision of the population with drinking water is 70%. 

The development strategy for 2022-2026 sets a goal to increase the coverage of centralized drinking water supply to 87% and upgrade the sewerage system in 155 district centers.

In Chust, Pap, Namangan and Muzrabad districts, drinking water supply is 50%, which is worse compared to other districts. The existing water supply networks are outdated. The incidence of gastrointestinal and urological diseases has increased due to water hardness, which has increased by 1.5 times. 

In the cities of Yangiyul, Angren, Chirchik, Almalyk and Bekabad, sewer coverage does not reach 60%. This figure is 3% in Chust and Chinaz districts, while such networks do not exist at all in Mingbulak district. At the same time, in recent years, a lot of new housing has been built in these regions and cities, and the population has grown. 

During the presentation, the responsible persons provided information on these projects. 

The projects are planned to be implemented in the Muzrabad district of the Surkhandarya region, 4 districts of the Namangan region, 7 cities and districts of the Tashkent region, covering a total of 1.2 million people. In particular, 590,000 residents will get access to drinking water supply and sewerage services for the first time, and 595,000 people will have better access to drinking water. 

Discussing the technical-economic aspects of the projects, the President underlined the need to include in projects access to water resources in an amount that will last at least 30 years. Recommendations are also given to reduce the cost of construction. 

Another important issue is ensuring the return on investment. In many places, receipt of payments for drinking water consumption is insufficient. Accounts receivable in Namangan, Surkhandarya and Tashkent regions reached 210 billion soums. 

In this regard, it was instructed to use energy-efficient equipment, reduce costs and losses during water transportation. The importance of digitalization of all processes, ensuring the receipt of payments, working in the context of mahallas was noted.