On February 24-26, 2021, the launch ceremony for the water purification equipment and production of disinfectors was held in Takhtakupir, Muynak, Chimbay and Bozatau districts of Karakalpakstan.

The equipment was provided as technical assistance within the framework of the joint project of the United Nations Development Programme and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives "Supporting the COVID-19 rapid response by mitigating socio-economic impact for vulnerable populations in Syrdarya and Karakalpakstan regions of Uzbekistan".

Considering the need of the population of remote villages for clean drinking water, the project installed 8 sets of reverse osmosis systems which are used to purify groundwater for drinking and household use.

In particular, work in the Muynak and Chimbay districts has included drilling three artesian wells and connected submersible solar water pumps, not reliant on the main power grid, based near to local schools and providing access to water for 1,202 people. In the Bozatau district, four electric water pumps were installed in four communities, delivering water to 546 people.

The village "Kostruba" is the most remote village of Karakalpakstan. It is located 150 km away from the center of Takhtakupir district. Without any access to electricity, natural gas, infrastructure and clean drinking water. For drinking, cooking and other household needs, the population used water from a self-drained wells with a salinity of more than 6 g/l, which does not meet consumption standards. Under the support of our project, one system for water purification with a capacity of 500 liters/hour, as well as a photovoltaic power station were installed.

As a result of the project initiative, 4,230 people have now access to clean drinking water. And the production of the disinfectant reduced the risk of infection with the COVID-19 virus for 36,149 people including 100 state and public institutions: schools, kindergartens, medical institutions, markets, offices, and public catering establishments in the above-mentioned districts of Karakalpakstan.

The key goal of the project is to provide a greater access to drinking water in remote rural communities, as well as to mitigate the socio-economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic among vulnerable groups in the remote districts of Karakalpakstan.