The European Union and the French Development Agency (FDA) on July 10 approved funding of 1.5 million euros for a safe medical waste disposal project in Samarkand, the agency’s said.

A COVID-19 Action Plan, adopted by Maroqand Obod the Samarkand waste management operator, received the funding.

The project aims to improve the management of medical waste in the city of Samarkand, as well as to ensure the safety of workers involved in the collection and removal of municipal solid waste in the city.

The plan was developed with the assistance of the French consulting company Seureca, which provides technical assistance to Maroqand Obod as part of the project “Modernization of the integrated management of municipal solid waste in the city of Samarkand”, jointly funded by the government of Uzbekistan, the FDA and the European Union.

“The spread of COVID-19 is increasing, and it is imperative that the state waste collection and management service continues to function,” said Raphaël Jozan, head of the regional representative office in Tashkent. - Combating COVID-19 involves the proper management of medical waste. Waste sector workers are at the forefront, they are at high risk.”

The Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection, Mr. Islombek Bokijonov, emphasized that the employees of the waste management sector are working around the clock on the disposal of household waste. The effectiveness of their work, he noted, plays a decisive role in overcoming the pandemic situation.