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Water Sector Improvement Programme (WSIP) - Utility management component (Phase 2b) - Sanitation

Project details
Country: 
Afghanistan
Associated enterprises: 
Department: 
Water & Sanitation
Project volume: 
2,764,000 €
Currency: 
Value of services: 
2,351,000 €
Start of project: 
February, 2011
End of project: 
December, 2013
Project description: 

The long conflict in Afghanistan took a heavy toll on all major urban centres. Not only had there been extensive direct damage to property and infrastructure, but years of underinvestment in public services had resulted in very low coverage of piped water, whereas sanitation was rudimentary.

There were no water borne sewerage systems in Afghan cities; on-site sanitation facilities generally comprised of traditional toilets and septic tanks of poor construction quality which might pose a risk to groundwater resources and human and environmental health.

The GIZ Water Supply Improvement Programme (WSIP) Afghanistan aimed at rendering the water sector institutions in Afghanistan capable of improving water resources management and water supply and sanitation services, particularly for the urban poor.

This was to be achieved through 3 different project components.

The sanitation project was a subcomponent of component 2 – Capacity Development of Urban Water and Wastewater Utilities of the WSIP. Its objective was to ensure that sanitation and wastewater management services provided by local operating structures in semi- and peri-urban areas of

  • Herat : Navin School, Old City Ponds, Old City Channel
  • Kunduz: Public Park, Khaja Mashad High School
  • Mazar-e-Sharif: Balkh University

and further project towns in the Northern region were sustainably improved.

Service description: 

Investment Planning:

  • Identification, assessment and evaluation of existing sanitation practices in urban areas in order to determine the need of improvement;
  • Informing local stakeholders about simple and effective sanitation options and advise on sustainable sanitation solutions in accordance with local conditions;
  • Measurement of existing waste water parameters, carrying out of feasibility studies in Herat, Kundz, and Mazar e Sharif with regard to technical solutions feasible within the limited budget and the resources of the stakeholders; and
  • Training of national staff in the identification of appropriate waste water solutions.

Technical Planning, Tendering and Construction Supervision:

  • Optimisation of detailed design by comparing system variants, project schedules, mechanisms of control, specification of construction methods, materials, interfaces, equipment and spare parts by the local team under guidance of international consultants;
  • Ensurance of compliance with funding procedures, development of selection procedures for the authorities in cooperation with the GIZ construction team;
  • Support in the formulation of contract conditions and in the tendering and procurement of equipment and material;
  • Support in the evaluation of bids in order to ensure objectively economic awards; and
  • Construction supervision with development of procedures for handing over of drawings, BoQ, invoices, tests, results certificates according to the conditions of funding.

Operation of Sanitation/Wastewater Facilities:

  • O&M training for the waste water systems including advise on the operational set-up; and
  • Specification of tools and equipment as well as staffing requirements to ensure proper waste water disposal.

Awareness Raising for Integration of Health and Hygiene into Sanitation/Wastewater Management:

  • Support in awareness raising of decision makers and users to increase hygiene awareness and acceptance of the systems;
  • Training of change agents for sensitisation of decision makers on decentralised and alternative waste water disposal systems aimed at reuse of treated waste water in agriculture; and
  • Comparison of targets and achievements to assess use of output of realised projects.
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