The German state development bank KfW has allocated €55 million to support modern water infrastructure in Georgia's Black Sea city of Batumi, the German Embassy in Tbilisi announced, Trend reports citing Agenda.ge.
KfW and the Ministry of Finance of Georgia yesterday signed a deal to ensure improved supply of drinking water can be extended for the growing population of the city.
An old drinking water treatment plant will be rehabilitated and adapted to the modern standards and the wastewater treatment plant will be expanded and equipped with sludge treatment and nutrient elimination systems", said the Embassy.
The diplomatic office also said €138 million had been spent over more than 16 years on modern water infrastructure in Batumi, as a result of which “even dolphins have been seen from the beach again, which speaks for the improvement of sea water quality”.
More than 200,000 people who previously had access to drinking water only for a couple of hours a day, are now continuously supplied with hygienically safe drinking water", the release noted.
It also pointed out the construction of a modern sewer system and wastewater treatment plant meant wastewater was now "professionally drained and cleaned", while a new stormwater system and pumping station had significantly reduced the risk of flooding in the city centre.