February 18, 2015
In the remote mountains of the Muminabad district in the south of Tajikistan, women on a newly formed advisory board are leading to make important human connections between water service providers and consumers.
Consumers now have a better way to register their complaints about their water service, thanks to the Muminabad Water Service Providers’ Advisory Board established by the Consumer Union Association of Tajikistan. The water service provider has improved follow-up and problem solving, and this in turn has bolstered the consumers’ trust in the water provider.
The enhanced transparency has already produced a measurable result: Within two months of the establishment of the Advisory Board, the water service provider saw its service fee collection rise from 70% to 85% — enabling further service improvements and investments. “Among other improvements, the raised willingness of drinking water users to pay the water supply service fees in a timely manner is a significant one. Our project builds on this experience and continues to develop the relationship between service providers and consumers,” said Madina Aliberdieva, project manager at Oxfam in Tajikistan.