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DUSHANBE — The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the joint Thrive Tajikistan: Partnership for Socio-Economic Development program, officially opened a new drinking water supply system and school latrine in Farkhor district of Khatlon province. The drinking water system will provide clean, reliable water to almost 450 households (over 3,000 people), and the new school latrine will provide access to improved sanitation to more than 600 schoolchildren and teachers, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan reported.

Attending the commissioning event on June 24, the acting first deputy chairman of the Farkhor district Sayobid Hafizov expressed his gratitude to the Thrive program and provided his guarantee that the systems will be properly and sustainably managed. He said that “This initiative has solved the problems of Surkhob residents, and they are deeply grateful for the assistance provided by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and other donor partners, including USAID.”

The residents of Surkhob village previously relied on shallow wells and irrigation canals for drinking water that did not meet quality standards. Through the joint efforts of AKF, USAID, the district government, and the local community, this new system will provide households with safe water, piped directly to their houses and fitted with water meters.

To ensure sustainability of the system, USAID and AKF launched community outreach campaigns to discuss the importance of paying for services and to encourage better sanitation and hygiene practices. To ensure the system will be maintained, households, as well as public and private institutions, have agreed to pay a modest water tariff, and AKF has worked closely with the State Unitary Enterprise, Khojagii Manziliyu Komunali, to improve their capacity to operate and maintain the system.

The five-year (2018-2023) Thrive Tajikistan: Partnership for Socio-Economic Development program expands the partnership between AKF and USAID to improve the quality of life for people in all 16 districts of Tajikistan along the country’s border with Afghanistan in Khatlon Oblast and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. To date, the Thrive program has constructed five drinking water supply systems and five school latrines in Qubodiyon, Hamadoni, Panj, Farkhor, and Roshtqala districts, helping 12,671 people access clean drinking water and 3,469 people improve sanitation and hygiene.