In collaboration with the Swiss engineering firm Holinger AG, IngOG+ is supporting Yrdyk, a village of about 3’000 habitants located in the Eastern part of Kyrgyzstan. The goal of this project is to support this resilient and enterprising community in the upcoming years and develop a sustainable and safe drinking water supply system with them. In this project a suitable method is being developed for water treatment meaning that once the simple, low-maintenance method for obtaining drinking water is working, it can be replicated by the locals in other villages.
Project Context
The multi-ethnic village of Ydryk is located in the Eastern part of Kyrgyzstan on the Southern shore of Lake Yssyk-Kul, 15 kilometres west of the regional capital Karakol. The drinking water infrastructure of Yrdyk dates back to the Soviet time. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the system has been modified through different initiatives and actors. However, most of the projects were only partially completed resulting in the village still struggling with drinking water quality and supply. The main water supply is the Ydryk river, located west of the village. The surface water is only partially treated using a sedimentation basin. An outdated and rudimentary chlorination station is also present but no longer in use. The outflow of the sedimentation basin is connected to a distribution knot from where the water is supplied using the old soviet pipe system. During high flow events, heavy rains or strong snows the system is shut down to avoid clogging of the pipes resulting in no water availability for longer time periods. On the contrary during drought periods, some parts of the village struggle with shortage of water due to the low pressure in the pipe system. The current set up is therefore unreliable and delivering water with poor quality.
In addition, the pipe network doesn’t cover the whole village. People living in the newest part of the village, called “New settlement” need to fetch the water from the other part of the village or ask the neighbour as this part is not covered by the pipe system. An unfinished well with its reservoir is present in this part of the village.
Project scope
The project goal is to create a sustainable solution for the water supply and water quality of the entire village. The solution for this objective consists of three distinct approaches, which together will lead to a more comfortable life for the people concerned.
- The pipe network will be partially rebuilt to tackle the pressure problems and it will be extended to cover the whole village (including the new settlement area).
- A simple and robust surface water treatment with low maintenance will be built to treat the river water. A sand and gravel filter designed by Daniel Urfer – inventor of the “KLS Filter” will be implemented on a large scale. The filter is gravity-driven, meaning that no electricity, chemical or other resources are required for its functioning. To allow for a good maintenance and biological recovery the filter will be built with two parallel treatment streets. This system will be used to provide constant and good drinking water to the majority of the village.
- The unfinished well will be finalized and the ground water quality will be analysed. The well will then supply the remaining part of the village with water.
Moreover, multiple neighbouring villages struggle in the same way in regards to the drinking water supply. Therefore, this project will act as a prototype with the bigger goal of bringing the knowledge for the construction and maintenance of the sand/gravel filter which the locals can then implement in other villages independently.
Project status
In April 2022 represantatives of IngOG+ and Holinger AG have been on a joint evaluation trip for a first assessment. Since then, the existing groundwater well has been finalized and connected to a reservoir. The groundwater and surface water quality have been tested in a second mission in September 2022 by Holinger AG.
For the next steps it is planned to ensure safe drinking water access for the whole community, including the new settlement area. The pipe network extension and modification will be designed and implemented by a local engineering company and funded by the village. The construction is planned to start in 2024 and will be finished in the next couple of years. The construction of the river water filtration system is currently being designed as well and will be built after no-objection of the state agencies in summer 2024.
This project collaboration with Holinger AG is the first of its kind. The aim is to have a close exchange on approaches in the development context and share and gain experiences together. Both sides benefit from different focal points, approaches and fruitful discussions.
DONATE to the Project adding the code: KGZ001
