Installation of Wastewater Networks in Khan Younis “Improving Wash Services in Vulnerable Communities in Khan Younis” addresses the WASH needs of vulnerable communities Khan Younis and responds to the objectives of the WASH cluster, specifically Objective 2: The basic needs of vulnerable Palestinians living under occupation are met through the provision of quality basic services and improved access to resources, in accordance with the rights of protected persons under IHL.

Anera’s greater WASH program in Gaza focuses on improving household (HH) level access to facilities, stormwater networks, wastewater networks, and community health promotion in all five governorates. Anera identified both Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis as presenting critical interventions in WASH, and through another source of funding, Anera completed work in Deir Al-Balah. Anera chose Khan Younis for this project, as it suffers from chronic seasonal flooding. This flooding mitigation and wastewater network improvement project will ensure that vulnerable families are not susceptible to annual damage to their property and health.

Vulnerable communities in targeted areas suffer from 1. Inadequate wastewater and HH connections in Khan Younis, 2. Flooding risks at the Shaat Lagoon in Khan Younis, and 3. A lack of hygiene awareness. These issues represent physical, environmental, and health risks to the community, including pollution, the spread of diseases and bacterial infections, and limitations to movement and conducting daily activities such as work and education.s. 

Anera identified the needs of the project in coordination with the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) and Bayader for Environment and Development Association (Bayader) and designed the project to improve the lives of 5500 direct beneficiaries and over 23,000 indirect beneficiaries, including women, men, boys, girls, PWDs, and elders. Anera will deliver the response through the following activities:

1. Installation/extension/rehabilitation of sewer collection networks: Anera will construct wastewater networks in the Al-Salam and Al-Katiba areas of  Khan Younis City to prevent contamination of domestic water and to decrease waterborne illnesses by mitigating sewage flooding. The sewage system will serve the entire community of Khan Younis City, including individuals that will be added to the system after the end of the project period.

2.  Installation of HH connections to sewer collection networks: Anera will install HH connections to wastewater systems in the Al-Salam and Al-Katiba areas of Khan Younis City to ensure households have access to new and preexisting sewage infrastructure. This will allow houses to have stronger hygiene practices in the home and will decrease the presence of sewage in the home.  

3. Hygiene promotion awareness campaigns: Anera will conduct community-level hygiene awareness workshops to create a sustainable positive impact on community health and encourage hygiene practices on the household level to prevent diseases and infections. The project ensures the inclusion of all community members in targeted areas, including all age and gender groups and persons with disabilities (PWDs), and focuses on enhancing the living conditions, safety, and access to WASH services of all groups at the community and household levels. The session will include all household members with a focus on women, which will increase the role of household members in supporting women in applying hygiene practices at home. It will also increase the awareness of children and enhance their safety from waterborne diseases or flooding risks. 

4.  External Evaluation - Anera will contract an external evaluator to assess the program upon project completion. The external evaluator will work with Anera’s monitoring and evaluation team to coordinate data in addition to conducting their own independent evaluation.