• Vision & Strategy
• History
• Issues & Projects
• Sponsors & Donors
• Our Organization
• Our Network
• What we can offer
• Get Involved
• Testimonials
• Media Highlights
• Annual Reports & Infos
• Sexual harassment & abuse policy
• Contact us

Managing Wastewater through Global Partnership

Reducing the pollution of the Black Sea by introducing sustainable wastewater and nutrient management in rural Georgian communities

04.04.2016 | WECF Project

---

Countries:	Georgia
Donors:	The United Nations Environment programme (UNEP)
Partners:	RCDA (Rural Communities Development Agency)
Issues:	Water & Sanitation
Duration:	04/2014 - 05/2016

---

Black Sea coast nearby the target villages Khorga and Chaladidi


BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Georgia is bounded to the west by the Black Sea with a coastline of 310 km. One of the major problems of the coastal areas of the Black Sea is the discharge of insufficiently treated sewage waters, infiltration of animal manure and land erosion, resulting in microbiological contamination as well as eutrophication and poses a threat to public health. Since the 1980s, the Black Sea pollution has also greatly harmed Georgia’s touristic industry.
There is a very low awareness on the causes of water pollution and water related diseases at local, regional and national level. Illnesses related to bad hygiene and water quality, such as diarrhea and hepatitis A, are widespread in the area.

The target villages Khorga with 1,320 inhabitants and Chaladidi with 1,245 inhabitants are located alongside river Khobi. Both villages belong to the Khobi Municipality, Samegrelo Zemo-Svaneti Region. The state of sanitation in both communities is deplorable. Major problems faced by communities in this regard may be attributed to: Low awareness about the causes of water pollution; no locally affordable and sustainable solutions addressing poor water and sanitation; subsidized cheap fertilizers affecting water supplies; manure stored and disposed close to the premises and the water supplies.The common pit latrines pose a number of health and environmental risks.
All together eleven villages are located alongside river Khobi with the population of 22,000 inhabitants.

OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT

Overall Objective:
Reducing pollution of the Black Sea caused by human settlements at the Khobi river flowing into the Black Sea.

Activities under the project will focus on prevention of environmental pollution, on education, health and hygiene matters so that physical facilities are properly used and maintained. The project will raise awareness and contribute to saving biodiversity in the region and enhance the tourism industry in the region. Lessons learnt from the project will be used for up-scaling and replication in nine other villages in the region

Specific Objectives:
Raising awareness in the target region about minimizing the pollution of the Black Sea.
Demonstrating and promoting safe resource oriented solution to stop the infiltration of human and animal excreta into the river and the groundwater.


View on Khobi river alongside Chaladidi village

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

With a holistic approach, the project will address the problem of water contamination, caused by widely used pit-latrines, poor management of water resources, uncontrolled animal grazing, intensive use of chemical fertilizers, open and unsafe disposal of waste, including animal manure. The project will identify appropriate simple, affordable decentralized sanitation systems, such as urine diverting dry toilets (UDDT) and promote their adaptation. The action will raise awareness and demonstrate appropriate technologies (for toilets, animal manure disposal, production of fertilizers, arranging community-managed landfills, recycling, composting, water treatment, etc.) with the participation of the communities to be served.

The activities can be divided in three parts:
A.    Increasing public participation and raising awareness

• Organizing public meetings and establishment of community-based working groups
• Disseminating project information and results via local, regional and national media
• Disseminating project results at the international level

B.    Development and dissemination of information
WECF and partner developed and published informative and educative information materials on sustainable sanitation and wastewater treatment systems, on water and sanitation safety planning, on safe use of human excreta according to WHO guidelines, safe management of animal excreta, on composting and on prevention of land erosion. The materials will be disseminated on local level, be available at the nearby resource centre and be available for download in Georgian and English on the webpages of Global Wastewater Initiative (GWI), WECF and RCDA.

Five flyers and several postcards have been developed and are available for download. Publications, including the flyers and postcards, are listed below.

C. Practical training, implementation of demonstration objects and workshops
Besides the theory of the issues mentioned in Part B, practical trainings will be conducted and accompanied by demonstration objects and activities.

The project is funded by the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP





Project partner in Georgia:
Rural Communities Development Agency

 

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS DEVELOPED UNDER THIS PROJECT

Publications:

• Survey Report Georgia: Status of solid waste and excreta management in Khorga and Chaladidi
• A people-centered approach to sustainable sanitation and wastewater management, water supply and environmental protection. Read RCDA's web item here
• “The SDGs are coming: What we measure is what we treasure!”
• Managing Wastewater through Global Partnership
• Kick-off meeting in Khamiskuri, Georgia: project “Managing Wastewater through Global Partnership”
• Revised Manual on Principles, Operation, Construction of Urine Diverting Dry Toilets. Learn more about the manual here.
• Georgia: Exposure visit of Khorga and Chaladidi Community Representatives to Khamiskuri Water and Sanitation Center
• Georgian small-scale water supplies polluted with coliform bacteria
• The status of solid waste and excreta management in Khorga and Chaladidi, Georgia
• Greywater Treatment in Sand and Gravel Filters: Low Tech Solution for Sustainable Wastewater Management
• A new project on water and sanitation in two communities of Western Georgia
• Greywater Treatment in Sand and Gravel Filters

Flyers:

• Urine Diverting Dry Toilet - Solution for Safe Sanitation & Agriculture
• Most Important Bacteria and Chemical Substances to be Analysed in Drinking Water in the Region of Khamiskuri and Khobi
• Why to Test the Quality of Your Drinking Water?
• Urine – The Yellow Gold
• Compost – the Black Gold
• UDDT Sanitation manual

Postcards:

• Let’s talk about keeping livestock
• Let’s talk about your wastewater 
• Let’s talk about your toilet 
• Contact information 

The flyers and postcards are available in the Georgian language here.

 

---

Related News

Annual Report WECF 2016

WECF Strategic Plan 2015-2020