Delivery of Essential Life-Saving and Life-Sustaining WASH Services in Areas of Return The proposed action will provide life-saving and life-sustaining Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assistance in Ariha and Atareb sub-districts. Targeted sub-districts are home to approximately half of all conflict affected people who returned during early April and are ranked as highest in terms of WASH severity of need by the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). Planned activities have been developed in close coordination with the WASH cluster and other members with COVID-19 prevention measures incorporated across the program design.

The project will benefit a total of 58,450 conflict-affected people, of which 10,450 are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 43,500 are host community members in Ariha City and Jeineh Town (Atareb sub-district). All 47,500 beneficiaries targeted in Ariha are recent returnees, with approx. 3,000 of the 10,500 beneficiaries targeted in Jeineh also recently returned following conflict-related displacement 

The action will address critical gaps in access to safe water through rehabilitation works to Jeineh station and essential repairs to Ariha City water stations and existing boreholes completed during the first three months of the action. Provision of operational and maintenance support to water stations will be initiated from July in Ariha and from October in Jeineh (following completion of station rehabilitation works).  Field visits by Big Heart WASH Engineers and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) completed during May have shown that just under half of the Ariha City water network infrastructure was damaged by conflict escalations earlier this year, with replacement pipes required for approximately 15% of the Jeineh network. In response, targeted works to repair sections of the water networks will be completed in both communities during the first three months of the action. Priority will be placed on ensuring schools, health centers and reception centers have adequate access to water during the planning and implementation of water network infrastructure works. This will include the COVID-19 Quarantine Center planned by Violet in Ariha City and the medical points managed by UOSSM and Al AmeenThe creation of tariff systems will be initiated during November with levels of Operation amp Maintenance (OampM) support gradually phased out from February to ensure sustainability and maintain access to affordable safe water beyond the project duration (please see activity 1.1.5 for more detail). 

Sanitation services have been assessed and highly targeted upgrades to rainwater drainage systems will be completed in both communities from September through to November 2020. 

No selection criteria will be applied to planned water and sewage / rainwater drainage activities which will be delivered at community level to ensure all returnees, host and IDPs in targeted areas benefit from increased access to improved WASH services. 

In addition to ensuring access to adequate water and improved rainwater drainage, hygiene promotion and awareness activities will increase understanding of COVID-19 prevention and response measures and promote positive hygiene practices, safe waste management and ways to mitigate risks of waterborne and other diseases (such as Leishmaniosis). These activities will be conducted during the first four months of the action and supported by distribution of essential COVID-19 hygiene materials (soap and cloth detergents) to beneficiaries most vulnerable to the pandemic. 

The action is informed by technical assessments of targeted water and rainwater drainage systems completed by Big Heart Engineers and included under the Documents section of this submission. As such, proposed activities are evidence-based, technically sound and accurately budgeted.