The Government of Egypt (GoE) has launched a new flagship presidential programme known as the National Rural Sanitation Programme (NRSP) with the objective of providing increased access and improved sanitation services to 4,000 unserved rural villages and over 27,000 satellite villages in Egypt. The total investment needed to implement the program in rural Egypt is estimated at LE 100 billion. The GoE has a special focus to improve access and services in about 769 villages in seven Governorates which contribute directly to the pollution of Al-Salam Canal and the Rosetta Branch which is estimated to require investments of about US$ 2.8 billion. The seven governorates are: Beheira, Dakahliya, Sharkiya, Damietta, Giza, Menoufya, and Gharbiya. The Government has prioritized sanitation investments to rural villages in Delta Governorates.

The current Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program (SRSSP), of which this contract is a part, supports this GoE initiative and improves access to sustainable sanitation service delivery in 155 to 200 rural villages in the Delta Governorates of Beheira, Dakahlia and Sharkeya with about 60% of the villages in Dakahlia.

The objectives are:

• To enhance rural sanitation services for selected villages and satellite villages in the Delta Governorates of Beheira, Dakahlia and Sharkiya through the provision of new or enhanced sewer networks, and new or expanded treatment facilities;
• To improve operational systems and practices of the local Water and Sanitation Companies (WSCs) to enhance sustainability of service delivery;
• To strengthen institutions and policies for increasing access in the Delta Governorates of Beheira, Dakahlia and Sharkiya in Egypt; and

To strengthen the national framework of the sanitation sector.