Environmental guidelines for PVOs and NGOs : potable water and sanitation projects

This manual, compiled as a resource for the PVO Co-Financing Project in the Dominican Republic, provides guidelines for developing water supply and sanitation projects that are environmentally sound. Section 2 provides a framework for environmentally sound project design and a summary of key environmental problems in water and sanitation projects. Section 3, the heart of the report, provides detailed discussion on the nature, impact, and actions needed to avoid these problems. Section 4 provides guidance on how NGOs can integrate the analysis of potential environmental problems into project design and present the results in a grant proposal. Water supply technologies covered in the manual include: small diameter wells with hand pumps; spring-fed gravity feed water distribution systems; complex water systems such as surface water source pump, storage tank and distribution to standposts, individual yard taps or connections; and extensions of existing urban water lines into unserved or under-served peri-urban zones. Sanitation technologies include individual and community latrines, small scale septic systems, extensions of existing urban water-borne sewage lines, and water-borne sewage with disposal to surface waters. Large scale projects such as surface water impoundments and water and sewerage treatments are not considered. Includes references.