The market places and roads of block#14 in Al-Basateen in Aden, in the Dar Sa’ad district, have turned into swamps of wastewater due to the overflow of cesspits. People here have no access to sanitation services because the area had been built in a disorganized fashion making it difficult to connect the homes to the networks. This is why they have resorted to digging cesspits for the wastewater which needs pumping from time to time. When they overflow, the cesspits swamp the streets of the neighborhood creating stagnant pools of wastewater.

The swamps in these neighborhoods, Al-Basteen and Dar Sa’ad, create fertile grounds for the spread of contagious diseases, such as Covid-19, cholera, fevers, and malaria. In fact, according to local health officials, these areas recorded a high number of incidents and deaths due the spread of these epidemic.

Eradication of Epidemics

Fawaz Al-Jenzeer, a local resident, said that the overflow of wastewater from the sewerage network is the main source of many of the sickness and the spread of infectious diseases in al-Basateen neighborhood. Mosquitos and other insects breed in such environment and transmit disease to humans.

Al-Jenzeer explains by saying if the sewerage overflow is resolved in neighborhoods and marketplaces, it would mean a healthy and hospitable living environment free from most types of diseases.
The Dar Sa’ad Sheriff, meanwhile, confirms that the PWP’s intervention to pave the alleys and neighborhoods of Block#14 in al-Basateen and connections to the main sewerage network provides the needed protection for women and children from infectious diseases.

The intervention was implemented under ESPECRP by PWP in partnership with UNDP with financing from the World Bank.

Safer Living

Wastewater and solid waste in poor and crowded neighborhoods create the biggest health threat that puts people’s lives at risk in many of these areas. Providing funding to address this catastrophic situation is a noble objective pursued by PWP. Donors support and financing is essential to realize this objective.