Brief Introduction to the Project
The Second Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project of the World Bank, under its second component: Sanitation and water supply services improvement in twenty-two secondary cities selected from all the regional states, aims to alleviate the omnipresent sanitation-related problem and increase access to enhanced water supply services. Based on the City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach, the proposed project benefits the capital city of Harari Region (Harar). For the implementation of this sanitation project, Harar Water and Sewerage Authority (HWSSA) has procured MS Consultancy to render the following services:
Task I: Situation Assessment, Sanitation Mapping and Preparation of Immediate Short-Term Sanitation Interventions for the city; and Task II: Feasibility study and detail Design of Wastewater Management System.
Current Situation
Poor wastewater management, along with a lack of sanitation collection services and raw discharge of wastewater (black and greywater) into the natural environment, have significantly worsened the quality of Harar’s water resources. In addition to threatening ecosystems, the pollution of rivers and streams could pose severe threats for downstream users (Irrigation, Water Supply, Recreation, etc.). Furthermore, open defecation, shortage of communal and public latrines, and poor sanitation standards contribute to the deterioration of water quality.
The existing public toilets, which are pit latrine types, are not enough to provide services for the city given its size, commercial importance, and high level of interaction. Harar has five public toilets, each having four cubicles making a total of 20 cubicles which are not enough to meet people’s public toilet needs.
The Municipality doesn’t have an appropriate solid waste disposal site. Solid waste is dumped indiscriminately near Deker and on Hakim Gara. The Municipality manages to collect only a small number of waste, and hence, a significant amount of generated solid waste is disposed of along roads, riversides, and near residential areas. This problem is particularly exacerbated following the inappropriate solid waste management practices of the Harer Brewery and Babile Mineral Water Factory, where they dispose of broken bottles and other types of solid waste on Hakim Mountains. Furthermore, residents near these dumpsites have complained about various environmental and health risks associated with sanitation problems, such as offensive odors and unpleasant scenes.
Progress Meeting With Client and Stakeholders
On the 25th of May, 2021, Consultancy presented its work at Capital Hotel and Spa, where personnel from HWSSA, MoWIE, WB, and WDC[i] were present/attended the meeting. The Consultant team composed of a senior sanitary engineer, Senior Environmentalist, senior Economist, and Financial Analyst gave a series of 3 presentations. All three presentations concluded that the dire state of the city’s natural resources (mainly water and soil) linked with the poor management of waste disposal will, certainly, be alleviated following the proper implementation of the proposed project. The floor was, then, open to stakeholders’ comments and remarks.
