The proposed project “Improving WASH Situation in Selected Rural Areas of Palestine” includes two main components. The first component includes the construction of four grey water treatment units. The second component includes the excavation / rehabilitation of four water cisterns to catch the rainwater. More detailed description of these components can be summarized as follows:
Grey Water Units:
PHG in cooperation and support of OSPREY Foundation has implemented successfully number of units over the past three years where 10 grey water units on household level in Beit Liqya town have been installed. PHG has also implemented other units in Tubas and other areas. The growing interest of people in this kind of sanitation solutions at household level encouraged PHG to propose more units to assist the families in solving their sanitation problems while in the mean time securing some water for gardening and irrigation. Therefore, it is proposed to construct four units in Tel village in Nablus.
Domestic water cisterns:
To construct or rehabilitate 4 rainwater cisterns to assist four families in securing more water for their domestic and supplementary irrigation use in Jalzoun area near Ramallah (the area south west of Jalzoun Refugee camp). It is expected that at least four families with approximately 40 members will benefit from the cisterns. PHG has received tens of applications for either constructing new cisterns or rehabilitate old ones. It is good to mention that cisterns are considered a strategic alternative for securing water at household level especially in the areas that are not connected to water supply networks. Even in the areas connected to networks the cisterns plays an important role in improving water security for the families especially in those areas where water is cut off frequently during summer and families are obliged to purchase water at higher price by water trucking. The price per cubic meter might reach up to $8 in some localities. This of course is high compared to the poor economic conditions of the families and sometimes the families end up paying 15 - 20% of their income to purchase water.
Training and Capacity building:
The project will also include training and capacity building for the target beneficiaries to make sure that they have the required knowledge and capacity to run and maintain the project in a sustainable way.