These children are celebrating access to clean drinking water thanks to infrastructure development by USAID programs.

USAID

Almost 60 percent of Tajikistan’s population lacks access to clean drinking water, and polluted irrigation water often substitutes for potable water in village households. There is a high incidence of waterborne diseases in many communities, especially where the only supply of water is from irrigation ditches. Knowledge of good hygiene practices is also low, further contributing to diarrheal disease and under-nutrition.

USAID is working to build the capacity of local governments to deliver water services to their constituents, working with farmers to better manage irrigation water through the creation of water users associations, and working with families to improve sanitation and hygiene behaviors to slow the spread of water-borne diseases.

Results:

• USAID projects have helped over 100,000 people across 29 communities gain access to safe drinking water resulting in a significant reduction (over 60 percent) of diarrhea incidence in the partner communities.
• USAID established 56 community-level water users’ associations, to improve community control, management, and investment in farm irrigation. Improved water availability has enabled farmers to double their income and has benefited over 200,000 people.
• USAID provided support to the Tajik weather and water forecasting agency to better predict the amount of water available for irrigation each year, which enables the operators to release the optimum amount of water and reserve the rest for generating electricity.