Improving water and sanitation services in Upper Egypt

The Egyptian Government has made significant strides in terms of access to drinking water. However, there has not been as much progress in access to sanitation. In 2012, only 20% of rural wastewater was treated. This situation is particularly marked in Upper Egypt, which is one of the poorest regions in the country. The Nile and irrigation canal system suffer from wastewater pollution and there are serious consequences. It threatens agriculture and drinking water production and poses a risk to the health of the neighboring population. In the context of a program approach, the list of projects selected will be developed in order to align with the priorities and actual implementation capacities of the four water and sanitation companies concerned.

The project aims to make an overall improvement to the water and sanitation service in Upper Egypt in order to reduce groundwater pollution and health risks. The specific objectives are to: Improve the water and sanitation service in terms of quantity and quality in the Governorates of Kena, Sohag, Assiout and Minya in Upper Egypt, thanks to a sectoral investment program focused on the most urgent needs; Consolidate the sector reform, by building the programming and strategic management capacities of the contracting authority, the water holding company; Build the capacities of companies to plan and implement their investment programs and improve their technical and financial performance in order to recover their operating and maintenance costs.

Improvement in the performance of the existing water and sanitation services thanks to rehabilitation measures (leak detection…). Construction of new infrastructure in the sanitation sector (projects for connections to the wastewater network, construction of new wastewater treatment plants). Assistance for the water and sanitation companies concerned in improving their cost recovery rate and bill collection rate, thanks to an incentive effect (the release of funds for the construction of new infrastructure is indeed subject to the achievement of financial performance targets).