Construction of wastewater treatment facilities in Naryn to begin in June

Construction of new wastewater treatment facilities will begin in Naryn region in June 2026. This was announced at a meeting of the Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry, Erlis Akunbekov, and the Head of the Office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the Kyrgyz Republic , Ayten Rustamova.

The project will provide a centralized sewage system for about 20,000 residents of the city of Naryn. It is expected that the launch of the facility will significantly improve the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region, reduce the discharge of polluted wastewater into the Naryn River, and enhance the overall resilience of urban infrastructure to climate change.

During the talks, the parties discussed the current portfolio of joint initiatives and prospects for expanding cooperation in the water supply and irrigation sector.

According to Ayten Rustamova, during the years of Kyrgyzstan’s independence, the cumulative EBRD project portfolio has exceeded 1 billion euros, covering around 300 projects across all sectors of the economy. Last year alone, approved projects in the water, irrigation, and transport sectors (excluding energy) amounted to 102 million euros. Currently, the bank is working in 28 municipalities across all seven regions of the republic, implementing a total of 33 sectoral projects.

The Head of the EBRD office also noted that for her, as a woman, water-related projects are of particular importance, as women are primarily affected by the lack of access to clean water due to household responsibilities.

Minister Erlis Akunbekov expressed deep gratitude to the EBRD for its consistent support to Kyrgyzstan in water supply, wastewater management, and irrigation, particularly highlighting successful infrastructure rehabilitation projects in Jalal-Abad and Kara-Balta.

It should be noted that in 2016–2020, a total of 4 million euros in EBRD credit funds were allocated to improve water supply and wastewater systems in Naryn. In 2025, members of the Zhogorku Kenesh raised the issue that the City Hall had requested a postponement of loan repayments. Under the terms of the agreement, starting from 2025, the municipality must repay 56.4 million soms annually. However, for Naryn this is an unaffordable amount: the city’s entire annual budget is only 270 million soms, and such payments could completely paralyze local development spending.