TN-WATER SUPPLY AND SEWERAGE

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The Water Supply and Sewerage Project aims to assist the Government of Tunisia in: a) implementing a suitable demand management program, and institution building measures. As these actions are taking shape, the technical and financial capacity of both the Societe Nationale d'Exploitation et de Distribution des Eaux (SONEDE) and the Office National de l'Assainissement (ONAS) will improve, making them more autonomous and self financing; b) providing safe, adequate and easily accessible water supply and sanitation services in urban and rural areas, by rehabilitating and expanding existing facilities with particular focus on low-income households; c) promoting the reuse of treated sewage for irrigation and industrial use; and d) encouraging SONEDE and ONAS to contract some of their operations to the private sector. The project has four main components: a) institutional development with a view to enhancing water resources management, and the financial viability and efficiency of both SONEDE and ONAS, including staff training, studies, technical assistance, purchase of equipment, and a campaign to raise public awareness on better use of water and sanitation services; b) rehabilitation and expansion of the water systems to approximately 320 small villages in rural Tunisia; and d) construction of sewage treatment facilities in the towns of Tozeur, Tataouine and Jemmal-Zermeddime.