BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
A waste management project with a budget of 37.1 million euros is being implemented in Samarkand region in Uzbekistan by the European Union and the French Development Agency, expert of the French Development Agency (FDA) Camille Chevalier told Darakchi information agency, Trend reports.
According to the information, over the past 10 years, Uzbekistan has seen economic growth of eight percent. There is also an annual population growth of 1.7 percent, which leads to the formation of more and more waste. The country generates 12,000 tons of household waste every day, which is equivalent to more than four million tons per year.
Among the current problems of Uzbekistan in waste management is the fact that the percentage of territories covered by waste collection and disposal services remains low (less than 40 percent), and landfills do not meet international standards in terms of health and ecology.
In addition, the level of sorting and disposal of waste in Uzbekistan is low, and there is no sanitary landfill in the country.
“The complexities of municipal solid waste management are fully understood by the government of Uzbekistan. Proof of this is the project “Modernization of municipal solid waste management in Samarkand”, implemented by the government, the European Union and the French Development Agency,” FDA expert said.
The budget of the Samarkand project amounts to 37.1 million euro. Of them, FDA concessional loans account for 23.5 million euro, the European Union grant - 8 million euro, the contribution of Uzbekistan - 5.6 million euros, including 3.2 million euros in the form of tax and customs benefits.
“Samarkand is the second city from an economic point of view, which is experiencing a stage of industrial development and massive urbanization, which leads to an increase in waste,” Chevalier outlined.
She added that when the project was just proposed to the government of Uzbekistan in 2014, the percentage of waste collected in Samarkand amounted to 60 percent, and today this figure reaches 100 percent.
The Samarkand project plan includes the modernization of collection points (their construction and reconstruction, as well as the purchase of 2,100 containers), the purchase of 70 garbage trucks, the cleaning and closure of the existing landfill, the construction of a new landfill with a bioreactor, the collection of biogases, and the construction of a semi-mechanical sorting plant. In addition, a sanitary landfill will be built at the site of the existing landfill, which will safely isolate waste from the environment.
“FDA’s experience shows that solid waste management is not a profitable business. This is a matter of health and sanitary policy. The most efficient systems in the world (ex. Paris) are publicly funded and not cost-effective. But they are effective in terms of public health and environmental protection,” FDA expert explained.
The expert also noted that the states differ in the composition of waste, so Uzbekistan cannot be compared with every country. For example, in Turkey, the waste structure is completely different. This means that the waste management system must be adapted to the types of waste that the country produces.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva