Egypt: Lack of modern sanitation systems threatens groundwater, health

In rural areas - deserts and agricultural areas alike - only 58 percent of inhabitants have access to any kind of sanitation, said Rania El-Essawi, water, environment and sanitation officer at the Cairo office of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Most rural sanitation is primitive, and does not involve a proper sewage system.

Toilets generally have either one or two pits, with some kind of elementary filtration mechanism. They may or may not be regularly emptied, and they are not necessarily in households. Latrines may be at local community centres, including local mosques. Waste is either reused or removed by an evacuation truck.

A recent report by Water Aid ranks Egypt the 16th worst place in the world sanitation table.

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