Governmental Decree No. 330 validating the Program for the Development of Potable Water Supply and Wastewater Systems in Settlements of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026.

Program for the Development of Potable Water Supply and Wastewater Systems in Settlements of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026 is a nationwide policy document, which defines the main directions and activities for sustainable development of potable water supply and sewerage systems, taking into account measures to minimizing environmental impact, proactively responding to existing and potential risks in the form of natural disasters, man-made disasters and climate change, as well as the measures necessary to carry out monitoring and evaluating, and taking corrective actions, if necessary. This Program is aimed at improving the quality of services provided for water supply and sewerage, solving the main problems, determining promising directions, tasks and functions of the ministries, administrative departments and local government bodies concerned. Provision of the population with water supply and sanitation services is also important direction of socio-economic policy, predetermining the basis for welfare, quality of life, public health, reduction of economic and social inequality, and thus contributes to the achievement of goals of sustainable development. Improving the system and access to potable water supply has a direct effect on reducing the burden on women and children who are mainly responsible in the household for the delivery of water to the house, especially in the poorest households, improving health and well-being of the population and empowerment of the most vulnerable groups.
Since most of the households do not have installed water metering devices, there is no possibility of accurate measurement of the level of water consumption. For the same reason, it is impossible to correlate the size of water charges with its actual consumption. The lack of water metering devices makes it difficult to accurately determine the required power systems, and also excludes the possibility of using social tariffs , lower tariffs for low water consumption to ensure affordability of centralized drinking water supply services for low-income households. The lack of water metering devices affects the collection of payments and the quality of service delivered by operators. In mountain villages, households located above the rest have less (or no) access to water than households, located below, due to the terrain. All this, in turn, affects collection, payment for services by consumers and further on the sustainability of the provision of services by water supply operators. For equitable access to potable water, effective payment by all consumers, as well as high-quality provision of services by operators, it is necessary to install water metering devices, first of all, in villages where households are located at different levels of the horizon.
In order to improve the quality of potable water supply and sanitation services it is necessary to establish strict control over the purposeful use of budgetary funds, as well as funds provided by donors, ensuring reliable accounting and strict reporting of the responsible persons on the expenditure of funds.
Most potable water supply systems, after restoration and new construction, were transferred to the ownership of rural public potable water consumer associations. This created a legal conflict in legislation, resulting in ownership and responsibility for objects of public water supply and sanitation, within the framework of decentralization management, transferred to local governments.
Goals and objectives of the Program shall be as follows: (a) in the field of safe and high-quality potable water supply, drainage and sanitation: - increasing access of the population to potable water supply services and sanitation through the development of centralized potable water supply and sewerage systems, their design, construction and operation based on uniform requirements of technical regulations, standards and current normative acts; - providing the population with safe potable water of standard quality; - ensuring safety and protection from health risks water consumers; - adaptation of the potable water supply and sanitation sector to climate change; - ensuring proper operation and maintenance of potable water supply and sewerage systems; (b) in the field of development of the management system and state regulation of potable water supply and sanitation sectors: - improving the regulatory legal framework in the field of potable water supply and sewerage systems; - institutional development of the potable water supply sector and drainage; - improving the information basis for sector management, including through creation of a national database on potable water supply and sanitation; - rational and efficient management of water resources and potable water supply and sewerage; - adoption of new rules and regulations for the design and construction of potable water supply and sewerage systems; - strengthening human resources in the field of potable water supply and drainage; (c) in the field of financial and economic sustainability of potable water supply and sewerage: - improving tariff policy and ensuring financial stability of potable water supply and sanitation service providers; - creating conditions for attracting investments; - development of public-private partnerships and the introduction of other sustainable business models for the operation and financing of potable water supply and drainage systems; (d) in the area of enhancing transparency, trust and accountability in the drinking water supply and sewerage: - monitoring the progress and evaluating the results of the Program implementation; - regular publication of reports on the sector's activities and progress of the Program; (e) in the field of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency of potable water supply and sewerage: - conducting research and energy audit of potable water supply and drainage systems; - use of renewable energy sources and energy efficient equipment (control systems, pumps, germicidal installations, etc.).