DUSHANBE, March 20, 2013, Asia-Plus -- On March 22, the global community will celebrate World Water Day 2013, with the motto “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”

In celebration of World Water Day, U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Ambassador Susan Elliott and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Country Director Kathleen McDonald participated in a ceremony to officially open the “Navruz” Water Users Association in the Shahritous district on March 20, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.

Local government officials, local citizens and implementers of the U.S. Government’s “Feed the Future” initiative attended the ceremony.  The “Navruz” Water Users Association will facilitate reliable access to irrigation water for over 22,000 residents in the Shahritous district.

Since October 2010, USAID has established 17 water users associations in Kulob, Vose, Qubodiyon, Shahritous, Nosir Khusrav, Rumi, Jilikul, and Vakhsh districts that will irrigate about 42,000 hectares of land and benefit more than 280,000 people.

The USAID Family Farming Program is one of the many assistance projects made possible by the American people.  Since 1992, the American people have provided over $1 billion in programs and humanitarian aid that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.