OREANDA-NEWS. May 15, 2013. Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, has a vision to upgrade its public utilities and clean up the city. Its population has doubled in the last 20 years to 1.2 million, and the city urgently needs new infrastructure.   

The EBRD is helping Bishkek achieve these goals. With the new financing, Bishkek will be able to improve its solid waste services, establish new solid waste collection points throughout the city, upgrade the collection fleet, build an urgently needed sanitary landfill – the first EU compliant landfill in the region – and close the existing waste dump.

The EBRD is providing a loan of EUR 11 million and a grant of EUR 3 million for the project. An additional capital grant of EUR 8 million is expected to be provided by an international donor. The financing will be for the benefit of the municipal solid waste company Tazalyk and a special purpose company which will manage the new landfill.

In addition to these funds, the EBRD, the EU and the Czech Republic are providing close to EUR 2 million for technical assistance. The assistance will comprise corporate development for Tazalyk and the new landfill management company. During project preparation, the EBRD assisted the city of Bishkek to address resettlement needs for people living near the existing dump site, as well as to design livelihood restoration measures for those who make their living from rubbish picking at the existing dump site.

“The Kyrgyz Republic faces great challenges in maintaining basic infrastructure and we are proud that our financing and grants contribute directly to improving people’s lives in the country. This is the Bank’s third project in Bishkek and the first for solid waste in the Kyrgyz Republic. We intend to replicate our Bishkek experience in other cities in Kyrgyzstan,” said Larisa Manastirli, Head of the EBRD Resident Office in Bishkek.

The project is being signed at the EBRD’s Annual Meeting in Istanbul. The event has brought together political leaders, EBRD officials and entrepreneurs from all the regions where the Bank is active and from shareholder countries.