ADB Approves $32.35 Million to Boost Water Supply and Sanitation in Kyrgyz Republic

Additional financing will extend water access to 100,000 rural residents and enhance climate-resilient infrastructure.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an additional $32.35 million in financing for a rural water supply and sanitation program in northern Kyrgyz Republic. This funding will help the government expand its successful program, which aligns with the country’s National Development Strategy 2018–2040. The goal is to provide drinking water to 95% of the Kyrgyz Republic’s settlements, extending centralized water supply to over 2 million rural residents.

The new financing will increase the reach of the program in Naryn Province from 64,000 to 100,000 people. It will also expand the number of educational and healthcare facilities with separate toilets for men and women from 21 to 37, ensuring more inclusive and accessible services.

ADB’s Principal Urban Development Specialist Heeyoung Hong highlighted the positive response from the community: “The elderly and children no longer have to walk long distances for water, especially during harsh winters. This program has shown how targeted development financing can bring significant improvements to people’s lives.”

A key focus of the program is addressing climate change. The additional funding will support climate risk assessments for water sources and promote climate-resilient sanitation solutions. Local awareness campaigns will also encourage water conservation in response to growing threats from climate change, especially the accelerated glacial melt impacting Naryn Province’s water supply.

ADB’s Director General for Central and West Asia, Yevgeniy Zhukov, emphasized the importance of the initiative: “While the Kyrgyz Republic has abundant water, it is unevenly distributed, particularly in glacier-dependent regions like Naryn. This financing will help build infrastructure resilient to climate change, ensuring reliable access to safe water and sanitation in low-income rural areas.”

The financing package includes a $27 million concessional loan and a $5.35 million grant from the Asian Development Fund. The Kyrgyz government is contributing an additional $6.45 million. This comes as ADB and the Kyrgyz Republic mark 30 years of collaboration, with ADB having committed over $2.6 billion to the country across 217 projects since 1994.