He reminded that in 2013 a loan agreement was signed for the reclamation of the landfill and the improvement of the situation with solid household waste, and ratification took place in 2015. As part of this project, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) allocated 22 million euros, of which 11 million are grant funds, and the remaining amount is a loan.
“Component No. 7, which concerned the construction of a sorting complex, has not yet been completed. For this purpose, 6 million 280 thousand euros were allocated, half of which is a grant and the other half is a loan. We announced several tenders, but no participant responded to the offer to build the sorting complex for such money. We approached the EBRD with a request to redistribute the funds, but we were denied. We were explained that it is necessary to review the entire project and go through the procedure of new ratification through the Jogorku Kenesh, which is a lengthy process,” Nurlan Jumaliev reported.
He also noted that the city hall sent a letter about the completion of the project, as “it has lost relevance due to the construction of a new waste incineration plant in Bishkek.”
“As for the remaining 16 million euros, they were used for the purchase of waste containers, construction of container sites, purchase of special equipment (garbage trucks and watering machines), and installation of GPS trackers. Half of the old landfill—33 hectares—was also reclaimed, and a new landfill was built in accordance with European standards. In addition, an office for our enterprise was created,” he added.
According to Nurlan Jumaliev, in the 11 months of the current year, the landfill received 897 thousand tons of waste, including:
- 389 thousand tons of solid household waste;
- 78 thousand tons of street sweepings;
- 415 thousand tons of waste from demolition and road expansion;
- almost 9 thousand tons of textile waste;
- 6.5 thousand tons of construction waste under contracts.
It was previously reported that the Accounts Chamber discovered financial violations in the use of grant and loan funds within the framework of the project to improve solid waste management in Bishkek.
The prosecutor's office is also investigating four criminal cases related to the allocated finances.
