BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 14. Osh, the largest city in southern Kyrgyzstan, has officially joined the EBRD Green Cities program, implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Trend reports.
According to the information, joining the program will allow the city to more actively address climate challenges and improve environmental conditions through investments in sustainable urban infrastructure.
"A key step will be the development of a Green City Action Plan (GCAP), which will be prepared jointly with the EBRD. The plan aims to enhance the city’s resilience to climate change and improve the quality of life for more than 450,000 residents," the EBRD stated.
One of the first projects will be the modernization of the city’s wastewater treatment facilities. For this, the Osh municipal water utility will receive a sovereign loan from the EBRD of up to 4 million euro. These funds will enable an increase in wastewater treatment capacity by 40,000 m³ per day.
The project will also be co-financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) through a parallel loan of 4 million euro, as well as grants totaling 1.3 million euro from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and 3 million euro from the European Union (EU). Additionally, the EU will provide funding for technical assistance.
The financing will cover the purchase of specialized equipment, construction and installation work, design, and commissioning.
Since beginning operations in Kyrgyzstan in 1992, the EBRD has invested nearly 1.1 billion euro across 265 projects, with a primary focus on sustainable infrastructure and the private sector.