Site Selection for Upgrading Sanitation in Low Income Neighborhoods in Tunisia
A civil engineer and a social anthropologist from the Water and Sanitation for Health (WASH) Project visited Tunisia in early 1984 to confirm A.I.D.'s selection of sites for a Housing Guaranty project to support two other donor projects aimed at upgrading sanitation in Tunisia's low-income slum areas - the World Bank's Thirty Cities Project and the Kuwaiti-funded Greater Tunis Project. Observation and interviews revealed that beneficiaries' homes typically were located in densely-packed neighborhoods of working class poor and were equipped with a single faucet, squat toilets, and electricity. Sanitation problems in these neighborhoods included open sewers, solid waste littering in public spaces, and open waste disposal pits. The team reviewed and revised all project costs, giving special attention to whether sites qualified for Housing Guaranty assistance. The report provides extensive tables on socioeconomic variables and on project costs in 15 Thirty Cities sites recommended for A.I.D. funding, using photographs to illustrate existing conditions; information is also provided on 4 Greater Tunis sites and on several other sites visited. Finally, the report presents a number of issues - particularly the need to educate the people in domestic sanitary practices and in respect for communal areas - which should be considered by the Mission in project implementation. Appendixes include details on a new manhole design recommended by the team.