From the ground up

Thanks to its proximity to Syr Darya river, the Fergana Valley was once endowed with plentiful water. Today, due to a number of man-made interventions, many rural areas in this region of Uzbekistan lack access to safe drinking water, contributing to a variety of social, economic and health issues.

This three-year program is addressing these issues by constructing or rebuilding sustainable drinking water systems, while also promoting improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Targeting more than 25,000 people in six villages across the Fergana region, the program puts local communities at the heart of the water management process, seeking their active participation in developing and maintaining precious water supplies

At the village level, the program combines outside technical expertise with a community-based approach to program management and implementation.

Central to this is the creation of local-level NGOs called Autonomous Drinking Water Organizations (AWDO) to oversee local water systems. This includes the pricing of water resources – with affordable water tariffs also structured to cover future operating and replacement costs. This ‘bottom up’ approach means community representatives are consistently involved in all aspects of decision-making. Women in the population, particularly affected by WASH-related issues, are encouraged to take leading roles in their AWDO.

Alongside ensuring access to higher quality water, the program is also promoting improved hygiene and sanitation, while raising awareness of water scarcity and climate change issues more generally. Overall, the aim of the project is not simply to provide new infrastructure, but to give rural communities the technical knowledge and financial resources to manage their water supplies sustainably for years to come.