BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 2. The World Bank (WB) will help Azerbaijan cut non-revenue water to 40 percent in Baku via the AZTAF (Azerbaijan Rapid Technical Assistance Facility) program, the WB's Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist Smita Misra said at an event dedicated to the technical assistance program for the country, Trend reports.
She stated that the goal includes lowering the infrastructure leakage index from 16.4 to 8 and commercial losses from 5 percent to 0.7 percent.
"This will necessitate a budget of $162.7 million over five years, or $33 million a year. This includes blended funding and public-private partnerships," she explained.
She believes that Azerbaijan should enhance its logical planning and management of water reservoirs.
The bank spokesperson stressed that due to Azerbaijan's low water resources, the country is heavily reliant on foreign water sources.
"Droughts and floods are severe threats to water security. Water pollution problems are increasing. Mapping, monitoring, and analysis must be addressed. It is vital to considerably improve the quality of services in the water supply, sanitation, and irrigation sectors," Misra added.
AZTAF is funded by the European Union and carried out by the World Bank. The program is consistent with Azerbaijan's five national priorities and the aims of the Socioeconomic Development Strategy for 2022-2026. The AZTAF program is led by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Economy.
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