KULOB, February 24, 2011, Asia-Plus  - 34,482 people in six of ten districts of Khatlon’s Kulob region do not have access to safe drinking water: they are forced to buy it or deliver drinking water from far away.

The Kulob chief sanitary inspector Saidsarvar Alamov says the most serious situation is in Vose, Danghara, Farkhor and Hamadoni districts.  “In Vose, 14,901 people do not have access to safe drinking water, in Danghara -- 10,702 people, in Farkhor – 4,169 people, and in Hamadoni – 3,060 people,” he noted.

According to him, 143,783 other people in the region use spring water, 9,240 people use water from various wells and 13,581 people use water from rivers.

“Over the past two-three years, more water pipelines have been built in Muminobod, Vose, Farkhor and Danghara districts due to support of international organizations and private initiatives,” Alamov said, noting that 65 percent of rural population now has access to piped water.

In the meantime, remote districts are experiencing acute water supply problems.  “In Baljuvon, only residents of the district center (832 people) have access to piped water, while the remaining 25,821 residents of the district are forced to use sprig water,” said the Kulob chief sanitary inspector, “In Temourmaik district, only 27.5 percent of population has access to piped water, in Shouroobod – 26.8 percent, in Khovaling – 31 percent, and in Hamadoni – 51 percent.”