Phase II of the partnership between Naryn, Kygyzstan and Great Falls, Montana, started in April 2003 and was  completed in March 2005.  In Phase I the two cities developed master plans for improvement of Naryn’s systems of solid waste collection and disposal, wastewater treatment, and portable water purification and distribution. During that initial phase (November 1999-September 2001), the partners replicated U.S. methods of infrastructure management and linked them to local opportunities for economic development.

Naryn’s overall system of water distribution was dramatically behind world quality standards. To reduce the abnormal percentage of water loss, the Phase I Master Plan spelled out an urgent need to repair leakages and breakages in the system’s fixtures.  A low cost-recovery rate was another serious problem.  Because of a high poverty rate and a lack of a culture of paying user fees, Naryn was collecting only about 20 percent of its user fees. The rest was written off as delinquent payments. 

In Phase II, the cities developed and implemented specific projects within the master plans.  For example, the first exchange visit to Naryn coincided with the construction of a diversion dam at Naryn’s water source, an action step recommended by the U.S. team as a low-cost way of improving the quality of the city’s water. 

In this phase, the partners worked to increase tariff payments and water leakage repairs by involving citizens and civic groups such as condominium organizations. The effort was further boosted by seminars for city officials, city council members, and the broader public. 

Earlier, only a small percentage of Naryn’s solid waste was collected and transported to the landfill.  The remaining portion was stored in heaps, burned, or left out in the open.  In continuity with Phase I, the partners worked to streamline Naryn’s system of solid waste collection by increasing the percentage of contained waste while making the most effective use of existing equipment and by reducing the organic component in the waste. 

As a result of the work by ICMA and other U.S. foreign assistance implementers, Naryn adopted modern methods of waste management such as vehicles and containers. This final phase of the partnership was focused on streamlining the partially automated system of collection and disposal and further improving conditions at the landfill by burying and covering waste deposits.