Well-planned integrated urban development investments—possibly including a South Tarawa-wide sewage collection and disposal system along with subsidized toilet and flushing facilities for low-income households— are necessary to substantially address the sanitation issue in South Tarawa. It was recognized from the outset that the project could only be the start of a comprehensive solution to the serious sanitation problem in South Tarawa. It was hoped that the onsite sanitation pilot—installing septic tanks in various locations outside the immediate project area—would provide an affordable means to extend good sanitation throughout South Tarawa. This is not likely to happen as the space for the installation of individual septic tanks is becoming increasingly scarce in the rapidly urbanizing capital or because available spaces are being used for other purposes such as community graveyards. Well-planned, integrated investments may be called for. The project’s sector modality was appropriate, but the financing envelope was just sufficient to deliver the originally intended outputs and offered no scope for a larger response to the public health issues in South Tarawa.
South Tarawa Sanitation Improvement Sector Project