More than half of Tajikistan’s population have no access to drinking water.
More than half of Tajikistan’s population have no access to drinking water.
A new water supply plan announced by Dushanbe has been greeted with scepticism
29.08.2025
Article published on the rus.azattyq.org website
The Tajikistan Government has announced a three billion somoni (approximately US$324 million) programme to provide 72% of the country’s population with clean water. Although more than half of Central Asia’s water comes from the mountains of Tajikistan, most of the nation’s inhabitants still have no access to drinking water. So, is Dushanbe’s implementation plan realistic?
Close to a mountain river but no water
“How can you stock up with water with only two buckets? Fortunately, the children can carry water too. But we still have to buy it. I can buy a supply of water for 100 somoni but it will only last for two weeks”, says Melikhol Rakhimova.
This woman lives in the village of Hayoti Nav in Khuroson district, three to four kilometres from the mountain river Vakhsh. Some neighbours use pumps to supply water to their homes, but her house is on a hill and she cannot have a waterpipe installed due to her lack of money. Her only option is to buy water from tankers.
“I have no trees, no garden, nothing at all. We buy two tomatoes and cook a meal. I’m 66 years old, what am I supposed to do?”, she says.
The Government’s programme: ambitions and limitations
Under Dushanbe’s supply and sanitation plan, the country’s water shortage should be partially eliminated by 2029, with 72% of the population having access to water in the next four years.
According to official statistics for 2022, only 41% of the population, mainly city residents, had access to a centralised water supply. Khatlon region was impacted the most, where less than a quarter of the inhabitants had access to drinking water. In many villages, people are forced to carry water for several kilometres, or buy it from tankers.
The Government’s plan admits “there is virtually no operational oversight of water quality in most rural supply networks”.
Where will the money come from?
Full implementation of the programme (expected to cost three billion somoni, US$324 million) will depend on how much funding is available. Under the plan, 2.3 billion somoni (US$249 million) will be provided by international development partners, with 439 million somoni (US$46 million) allocated from national and local budgets. Where the remaining money will come from remains uncertain.
In the past, international financial organisations, including the World Bank, have helped Tajikistan in addressing its water supply problems, but while progress has been made, the sector still needs major investment.
An economist Faridun Usmonov says “Access to water varies greatly in large cities and rural areas. In Dushanbe, supply is at 95% and only 40% in some parts of the country and at times less than 20%. Achieving full implementation of the programme within four years is unrealistic. Perhaps by 2029 around half of the population will have access to clean water. Nevertheless, the Government’s plan is to be welcomed”.
The plan states that “it will be impossible to fully provide drinking water to all settlements over the next decade due to a lack of investment”.
Tajikistan – a source of water for the whole of Central Asia
More than half of Central Asia’s water originates in the mountains of Tajikistan. The Government has submitted proposals to the UN to address the global water crisis and held several international conferences on the issue in Dushanbe. Yet, despite all this, more than half of the nation’s population are still facing water shortages.
Melikhol speaks of her dream “We just want to have access to clean water like rich people do and to lead prosperous lives”.
