215 billion tenge allocated to provide Kazakhstanis with high-quality drinking water this year

Issues of water supply for urban and rural settlements were considered at the government session chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov.

Speaking with the report, Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Kairbek Uskenbayev said that last year, access to water supply services in the country was 96%, including 98.1% in cities and 93% in villages.

The lowest level of drinking water coverage in villages is noted in Kostanay and North Kazakhstan regions. In terms of urban water supply, the lagging region is the Zhambyl region. 100% access to water supply services has the urban population of North Kazakhstan, Mangystau, Atyrau and Kyzylorda regions.

According to Uskenbayev, this year, 215 billion tenge is provided for providing water supply from the republican budget, taking into account the clarification, including 120 billion tenge in cities and 95 billion tenge in villages. This will allow, by the end of the year, to bring access to 98.5% of the urban and 94.7% of the rural population.

Also, Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Serikkali Brekeshev, akims of Kostanay, Akmola and Almaty regions made presentations on this issue.

After listening to the speakers, Alikhan Smailov emphasized that providing water supply to Kazakhstanis is one of the most important tasks and by the end of 2025, 100% of the population should be provided with clean drinking water.

The Head of Government focused the attention of the akims of the regions on the fact that their work on bringing water supply networks inside settlements should be synchronized with plans to bring the infrastructure of group water pipelines to their borders.

“We know that some projects for the construction of group water pipelines have been implemented for years. Now the situation is changing for the better. Of the 10 long-term construction projects, 7 have already been put into operation. The remaining 3 long-term construction will be commissioned this year.

In many ways, this is a consequence of poor-quality development of project documentation and the subsequent rise in the cost of the project, disputes between the customer and contractors, lack of coordination. When implementing new projects, it is necessary to take into account such facts and ensure the timely achievement of the tasks set,” said Smailov.

The Head of Government noted that, in general, work to provide the population with water in the country is progressing at a good pace and gave a number of relevant instructions.

Thus, regional akims urgently need to update comprehensive water supply plans, and for emergency water pipes, take immediate measures to repair them.

“In this matter, every timely action taken will have an effect on the population,” the Prime Minister noted.

As part of the implementation of the regional policy on water supply, the akimats of Turkistan, West Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Karaganda regions in 2023 need to complete prospecting and exploration work and develop design estimates.

To ensure the proper operation of the newly created and existing water supply infrastructure, the ministries of national economy, industry and infrastructure development, together with the akimats of the regions, need to approve uniform requirements for operating organizations providing water supply in villages. Thus, the work of service organizations in the field will be brought into line.

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