Uzsuvtaminot denied allegations by the Syrdarya province governor about embezzlement of more than 7 million dollars allocated by the Asian Development Bank for a water supply project for 126 thousand residents of the Khavast district.

According to the governor Gafur Mirzaev, the contractors installed substandard pipes that are not suitable for the conditions of the province with saline soil.

According to Uzsuvtaminot, the contract for the project "Drinking water supply to the centers of Bayaut, Khavast, Mirzaabad, Sardoba and Akalta districts of Syrdarya province" was signed on August 23, 2016.

According to the MoM of the international tender commission, the Turkish company Alke Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret was awarded the contract works.

A total of $ 7.31 million were provided for the project. It is the World Bank, not the Asian Development Bank, that was involved in the project implementation, the company added. The WB provided $ 6.25 million, Uzbekistan - $ 1.06 million.

“These funds were not embezzled, the contractor completed all the work within the project. In particular, the contractor, together with the subcontractor Mega-Mebiko, laid plasticglass pipes with a diameter of 700 mm at a distance of 28 km from the Sergeli hydroelectric complex to the Akchangal village of the Khavast district. Construction and installation work was completed in June,” the statement highlighted.

At the same time, Uzsuvtaminot acknowledged that today “due to the inability of the pipes to withstand the water pressure in the water supply network, a number of leaks have appeared”. This, in turn, leads to interruptions in the water supply to households.

The company noted that the issue of replacing fiberglass pipes with polyethylene ones is currently being considered.

“Despite the fact that this object is not on the balance sheet of Uzsuvtaminot JSC, the company is working on to provide the population of the province with drinking water. The joint-stock company provides practical assistance to contractors and construction organizations in replacing the air intake in the pipelines,” the statement concluded.

Uzsuvtaminot also reported that the case is currently being investigated by the relevant authorities.