Assessment Report. WASH Situation in Ubari Municipality, Southern Libya July 2016

Transcription

1 Assessment Report WASH Situation in Ubari Municipality, Southern Libya July 216

2 Introduction During June and July 216 the Danish Refugee Council conducted a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assessment in Ubari, Libya. The process was funded by UNICEF with the aim of gaining an insight into the current WASH needs in South Libya. The Danish Refugee Council is working through a Libyan partner organisation STACO, who facilitated the data collection within the city. The following survey will provide the overview of the situation and subsequent recommendations for current and future WASH interventions. While the current target group for intervention is internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in Ubari, the assessment was conducted in such a way that wider health and WASH trends could be assessed to inform other interventions. The results should be relevant to humanitarian actors as well as local authorities, as the overall situation of the state of the network is cross-referenced with specific areas of evaluation, in the form of household surveys. Contents: 1. Methodology and sampling 5 2. Water supply 5 3. Sanitation 7 4. Hygiene 8 5. Solid waste management 9 6. Schools and places of work 7. The cost of WASH 8. Conclusions and recommendations 11 Annexes: Annex 1: Demographics from household survey Annex 2: Institutional level WASH information 2

3 Executive summary: This report is based on multiple assessments (Focus Groups, household surveys and Key Informant Interviews), to give an overview of the WASH needs in Ubari and inform Danish Refugee Council interventions, through their partner STACO. Ubari overview: A large city in South Libya Ubari was the source of fighting in 214 as conflicts in the region broke out. At present there are no IDPs living in Ubari, because Ubari was the source of a lot of conflict, in 214, and IDPs left the city rather than arrived there. The conflict damaged large swathes of the city, thus the challenge is rebuilding and allowing a safe return for the returnees as they return to the town. In addition, Ubari has been selected by the UNDP stabilization facility to receive a significant investment in infrastructure. However, informal information has given DRC the impression that WASH will not form part of this investment. The scale of the network in the town and competing priorities of power generation and health facilities have taken precedent. The map below shows the IDP sites in the town. The red points are the proposed areas for the DRC intervention. Recommendations Institutional level: Ubari is a large urban network which is under strain, due to the crisis in Libya, funding cuts, irregular power supply and a general drain on resources have meant the WASH needs of the city are unmet. The local authorities admit there are; constant network breakages (both sewage and water), too few desludging trucks and a lack of funding for network upgrades. Schools: These fall under another authority, but evidence suggests few have functional water of sanitation facilities. Generally, educational levels and hygiene knowledge is high, although more can be done to increase knowledge and practice. 3

4 Water supply: Water is not treated or tested for quality by the local authority. There are multiple complaints about the storage facilities (private tanks) being broken. Most people drink water from the tap, which is untreated, but in spite of this there are no major public health outbreaks. Sanitation: A diverse but overstrained network, there is a mixture of desludging and wastewater networks. Most latrines are not functional, it is assumed they are either full or broken, although breakages are often attributed to the network, rather than the individual household toilet. Hygiene: Level of knowledge is high and practice is also observed in several sections in the report. The main area of concern is around knowledge of critical handwashing times which is low. However, anecdotal evidence would suggest this is more of a learning for the methodology of the survey than a major concern in need of targeting. The key dilemma with hygiene comes in the form of the liquidity crisis/ deteriorating economic situation. A lack of access to cash and increasing inflation has resulted in many people deprioritizing the purchase of hygiene items. In terms of policy it is therefore recommended that both NFIs and cash be trialed, but PDMs are yet to discern which is the more appropriate intervention. Key findings Ninety-seven percent of respondents reported drinking water from household taps. Eighty percent of respondents store drinking water in jerry cans or private water tanks. Eighty-three percent of respondents reported having a flushing toilet. However, 89% reported that their toilet is not functional. Observations show the presence of soap and water for handwashing at 72% of toilets. Eighty-nine, percent of respondents placed the reason for not purchasing hygiene items as' they are not my priority now'. 4

5 1: Methodology and sampling The assessment comprised gender segregated focus group discussions as well as a key informant interview (KII) with the local water authority, and a household survey to gain an overview of the conditions and requirements for WASH provision in Ubari. Focus group discussions: Two gender segregated focus group discussions were held. Key informant interview water association: A key informant interview was held with a members of the local water authority Mohammed Hamouzi in Ubari, in order to ascertain an overview of the local municipality water system and key challenges they currently face. Household survey: Thirty household surveys were conducted with families living in Ubari. Annex 1 shows the breakdown of the beneficiaries by gender and other household composition information. The below photos are to give an impression of the type of settlement targeted by the intervention. They were taken during the assessment. 2 Water supply The Ubari water system is a combination of water trucking and an urban pumped network. The water is not treated at source, although the authorities say this happens if there is a complaint about the smell or color. There are many leaks and breakages across the system, coupled with frequent power outages, which interrupt water supply. This situation is further exacerbated by the shortage of fuel which is an impediment to water trucking and desludging. At the household level the main concern is the broken and unclean water tanks. Overall only one third of people responded in the household survey that the supply of water was sufficient for their needs. Drinking water: Taps in houses are the primary source of drinking water for the beneficiaries surveyed in Ubari (see graph 1). As a consequence of this, there is no difference between the main source of drinking water and water used for other domestic purposes, e.g. cooking, cleaning and washing. 5

6 Graph 1: Drinking water source Bottled water 28 Tap in house 1 Tap within 5m Tap further than 5m Water trucking Other Water quality: With regards to water quality just under one third of the beneficiaries surveyed said the water they drink is 'dirty' (see graph 2). There could be several explanations for this, such as leaks and breakages in the system or the fact that water is not treated. However, it is not thought that there is a major public health outbreak in Ubari, given the lack of reports from health actors or through information obtained in the household survey or focus group discussions. As such the water quality can be seen as an area of concern but not one which is currently having a drastic impact on the population. 25 Graph 2: Describe the water you drink Cloudy Smelly Dirty None of the above Water Storage: The focus group discussions for both men and women mention the need for more water storage. The data from the household surveys shows that most families store water in private tanks. There are anecdotal reports of many tanks being broken and in a poor state of repair. 6

7 Graph 3: How do you store water? Bottled water from shop Plastic jerry can or bucket Private water tank (for one/your house) Communal water tank (group of houses) None of the above Drinking water None drinking water An example of a tank damaged due to fighting in Ubari 3 Sanitation Ubari has a large urban sanitation system, which is covered by a number of different approaches. These approaches are outlined below: Underground sewage network: (in 12 areas out of 25 areas). Septic tanks private: (in 12 out of 25 areas). Septic tanks communal: (in one out of 25 areas-alghirat). However, the local authorities state there are many problems with the system; the network is largely broken, many desludging trucks are broken or suffer from high fuel costs. The underground network is broken in many places with sewage spilling out onto the streets. The household surveys found most beneficiaries have a flushing toilet (see graph 4 overleaf). However, the surveys also revealed that 89% of toilets were in some sense broken. The reasons for breakage can be multiple, from a full septic tank, to a broken toilet itself, to the whole sewage network in the street being broken. There was only one report of a toilet being modified to suit a disabled or elderly person s needs, as such there are protection and dignity concerns for some of the population. 7

8 Squat latrine 14% Shared flushing toilet 3% Graph 4: Type of toilet Shared squat latrine % Flushing toilet 83% With regards to septic tanks the focus group discussions indicate that many are full due to the prohibitive cost of the service and its lack of reliability. The household survey shows that the cost appears to be around 25LYD. 4 Hygiene There are no reports of major waterborne disease outbreak yet in Ubari, however, that is no cause for complacency. The spillage of sewage in the streets coupled with the lack of hygiene items purchased by poor families is a large risk for the city. With regards to personal hygiene, the majority of beneficiaries surveyed shower in buckets (see graph 5) Shower in the house Graph 5: Where do you wash Shared shower Shower using a bucket Shared bucket Other In terms of attitudes and practice there are some interesting results. Graph 6 shows that a high number of toilets have soap and water for handwashing, as well as a majority of toilets being clean, with the vast majority with no visible excreta. As a consequence, it is possible to see a positive attitude towards hygiene with a clear level of knowledge. In contrast though, when asked about 'critical handwashing times, only 22% of respondents answered that they knew. Anecdotally and 8

9 through the focus group discussions it is seen that personal hygiene is often taken for granted in Libya. Most responses with regards to hygiene normally involve people talking about solid waste management or broken sanitation systems. It could therefore, be inferred that the low level of reporting on handwashing knowledge, is more to do with a lack of understanding of the question than a major cause for concern. However, this is not to say handwashing will not be promoted as a response to this survey, more that the results need to be placed in a wider cultural context Graph 6: Observations of toilets No Yes 5 Solid waste management There are multiple reports of rubbish in the streets and vectors (vermin), being attracted by this. Beneficiaries request bins and other resources to help combat this, however, it falls under the local authorities and would not be recommended for a short term WASH intervention, as it is a persistent problem throughout the country. The household surveys showed that % of respondents reported they disposed of rubbish themselves. In addition, observations (see graph 7) showed that solid waste management was a challenge, because waste was visible and there were few bins to dispose of it. 9

10 Graph 7: Observations on solid waste management No Yes Rubbish left on the ground in communal areas within 5m Bin in house A community bin 6 WASH in Schools: It is acknowledged that there are poor WASH facilities in schools. Few have toilets or access to clean water. The household survey showed that only eight of the respondents said their children had access to a working toilet at school. The local authority provided a list of those schools (and other institutions) in need of intervention. 1. Algurdabiya school (Ubari farming project) 2. Annajim Attaqib in Jarma 3. Primary school in Twewa area 4. Addissa health center 5. Twewa health center 7 Cost of WASH services in Ubari: Households suffer from the high cost of emptying septic tanks. In addition, the cost of hygiene items at a time when there is a severe liquidity crisis is a potential risk. There are many families who have a good knowledge and would like to practice good hygiene, but do not have the funds to do so. Having said that it is interesting that 'it is not my priority now' is the main reason as to why hygiene items are not purchased (see graph 8). Graph 8: Reasons for none purchase of hygiene items % 1% % % Cannot afford it Not my priority now I do not know what it is 89% Not available in the market Other

11 8: Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the available data, the following recommendations have been drawn up. These are broad ranging in relation to WASH programming in Ubari. For the DRC project funded by UNICEF a separate management response will be submitted with an updated work plan and list of proposed interventions. Any longer term WASH intervention will need to consider working with the local authorities, for two reasons, a) there is an existing network which is in place and run by the water authorities, b) access to vulnerable sites may need to be granted by other local administrations. While there is no reported public health outbreak the repeated reports of broken network and the presence of key vectors (around poor solid waste management), as well as a lack of priority for hygiene items within the household, shows that an intervention on all levels is required. Surveillance for diseases, water quality, network breaks and school hygiene facilities, would be recommended. Creating reporting mechanisms for the local authority, whilst assessing their capacity to respond to these issues will be critical. The main issue is one of an overstretched underfunded urban network. As a consequence, the best intervention would be aiding the local authorities to achieve the goal of keeping a system operational. Solid waste management is a large problem, which like the water and sewage networks needs a large-scale solution in an urban environment. WASH in schools, working with the school and water authorities would be recommended for a longer-term intervention. This can be achieved at a low level, but as most schools do not have functional toilets or water points, larger scale projects might be required to either join them up to the network or to gain permission for the installation of drop latrines, as long as desludging can be guaranteed. The Danish Refugee Council extends thanks to all those involved in contributing to this survey. 11

12 Annex 1: Demographics In total there were 219 individuals in the 3 targeted households, making an average family size of 7. The age breakdown is shown in graph 1. The gender breakdown is shown in graph 2 and is 47% male and 53% female. In total 16% of families reported having a member who was physically disabled. Most of the interviewed households regarded themselves as returnees on the forms. Ubari was the source of much fighting and thus the main vulnerable group are returnees who have come back since the situation stabilised but had their houses damaged by the fighting. Graph 1 6 Household composition #Men >6 years #Women >6 years #Men years # Women years #Boys<17 years old #Girls <17 years old 12

13 Annex 2: Institutional level, Ubari Ubari overview: A large city in South Libya Ubari was the source of fighting in 214 as conflicts in the region broke out. At present there are no IDPs living in Ubari, because Ubari was the source of a lot of conflict, in 214, and IDPs left the city rather than arrived there. The conflict damaged large swathes of the city, thus the challenge is rebuilding and allowing a safe return for the returnees as they return to the town. In addition, Ubari has been selected by the UNDP stabilization facility to receive a significant investment in infrastructure. However, informal information has given DRC the impression that WASH will not form part of this investment. The scale of the network in the town and competing priorities of power generation and health facilities have taken precedent. The map below shows the IDP sites in the town. The red points are the proposed areas for the DRC intervention. Institutional level: Ubari is a large urban network which is under strain, due to the crisis in Libya, funding cuts, irregular power supply and a general drain on resources have meant the WASH needs of the city are unmet. The local authorities admit there are; constant network breakages (both sewage and water), too few desludging trucks and a lack of funding for network upgrades. The water supply system is a pumped network from a series of boreholes although there are reports from the local authorities that a number of key boreholes are broken. In addition, there is water trucking to some parts of the city. The water is not treated unless it is showing a bad color or is complained about. The water is also not treated as standard practice, but again as it is from very deep boreholes (which are tested at construction) it is assumed this is not a major problem. 13

14 The local water authority states that many people add onto the network in a haphazard way which also makes their job more difficult. Often breakages are due to poor quality work at small distribution junctions. Ubari has a large urban sanitation system, which is covered by a number of different approaches. These approaches are outlined below: Underground sewage network: (in 12 areas out of 25 areas). Septic tanks private: (in 12 out of 25 areas). Septic tanks communal: (in one out of 25 areas-alghirat). However, the local authorities state there are many problems with the system; the network is largely broken, many desludging trucks are broken or suffer from high fuel costs. The underground network is broken in many places with sewage spilling out onto the streets. WASH in Schools: Reports are that the WASH facilities in schools are in need of serious renovation. There are few functional toilets and little clean water provided to children on a daily basis. 14