ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 25. Kazakhstan's Kazcenter Housing and Public Utilities and the World Bank Group have discussed the development of a "Strategy for the reuse of treated wastewater and residual sludge in the conditions of Kazakhstan," Trend reports.
Negotiations on this topic took place between the Chairman of the Board of Kazcenter, Adilkhan Umerbaev, and the WB delegation.
The parties expressed confidence in the successful implementation of the project and noted the importance of this cooperation for the sustainable development of water resources in Kazakhstan.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan, in order to improve the environment and sustainable management of water resources, this project is planned to be implemented within the framework of the multi-stakeholder platform “Water Resources Group 2030”.
In this regard, the Ministry has created an Extradepartmental working group on the development of a strategy.
The World Bank Group in Kazakhstan plans to explore different models of Public-Private Partnerships and innovative financing, develop a strategic vision, identify key areas of activity, and develop a strategic roadmap for wastewater treatment and reuse.
At the same time, the Ministry is implementing the "Program for the construction and reconstruction of sewerage treatment facilities." In 89 cities in Kazakhstan, the construction and reconstruction of 70 sewage treatment plants are required.
As the Ministry noted, this initiative makes the reuse of treated wastewater and residual sludge an important step towards sustainable development of water utilities, economic growth, and conservation of natural resources. Also, residual sludge can be used for the production of biogas, fertilizers, construction materials, and land reclamation.
Notably, the World Bank's total loan amount for Kazakhstan exceeds $9.17 billion. Kazakhstan took 23rd place among the countries with the largest volume of the loan portfolio from the WB.
The World Bank's cooperation in Kazakhstan spans more than 30 years and is presently governed by the Kazakhstan Country Cooperation Framework (CPF 2020–2025).