Rural sanitation in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Thus concludes this report, which presents the findings of a three-person team (comprised of two cultural anthropologists and a sanitary engineer) which visited Menoufia and Assiut Governorates in order to assess sanitation conditions and make recommendations for improving A.I.D. projects in Egypt. Following a description of the role of the Egyptian village within the rural infrastructure, specific sanitation problems are discussed. The major problems documented in this study include: (1) contaminated water supplies; (2) inadequate drainage for public water systems and household sullage; (3) lack of appropriate sanitary facilities for human waste management; (4) unsanitary collection and use of animal manure; and (5) lack of services for the management of garbage, trash, and other solid wastes. At the root of many of these problems is a lack of proper maintenance and operation of technological interventions. The report stresses that proposed sanitation interventions, whether urban or rural, must be appropriate to Egypt"s high population density, which presents a major limitation on potential options. Presented are four policy-level recommendations and several detailed recommendations for improving sanitation through A.I.D."s Basic Village Services and Strengthening Rural Health Delivery projects. Included among the appendices is an assessment of the biogas project potential for the Basic Village Services project.