Three
indicators were used in the construction of the index of satisfaction of
the need for water and sewerage, namely: connection to the water
network, source of potable water, and means of sewage disposal. These
indicators were grouped into one index, given the similarity in the type
of needs they satisfy, and because the responsibility for providing them
rests mainly with the public sector; unlike the housing indicators
(including the principal means of heating) where the main burden of
providing the related services falls on the household itself.
The fact that more detailed information was not available from the
results of the Population and Housing Survey restricted the choice of
indicators to the three ones mentioned. Moreover, the definition of
thresholds was debatable, as the measurement of the actual degree of
satisfaction in this field requires information on the following aspects
to have a more meaningful analysis:
|
- Need to ascertain the number
of feed hours of water for domestic use. This is considered to be
the real standard for gauging the degree of satisfaction of the
need.
- Ascertaining the quality of
potable water and level of contamination of the water supply at the
source, or in the process of delivery through the network. This is a
priority issue in view of the recurring yearly incidents resulting
from the contamination of potable water, as reported by UNICEF
studies on a sample of water sources, which indicated that about 70
percent of potable water sources are contaminated with one or other
pollutant .
- Concerning sewerage, two issues
need to be noted. The first has to do with the condition of the
sewers network and the pressure to which it is exposed in urban
areas, especially where the recent boom in construction has not been
planned and needs exceed the capacity of the network. Added to this
is the problem of treating sewage water before discharging it into
rivers and the sea. The second issue relates to the specifications
of septic tanks, which often do not meet health and environmental
standards. For the purposes of this study, the availability of a
septic tank has been considered to be an adequate threshold for the
satisfaction of the immediate need for disposing of human refuse. It
falls below the threshold, however, once the health-environmental
dimension is included because, most often, it fails to meet the
required specifications.
|
| The distribution of households
according to the index for water and sewerage, based on the 5-level and
3-level classifications, is as shown in tables 75 and 76 below. |
Table
75. Distribution of households according to the degree of satisfaction
of basic needs in the field of water and sewerage
(5-level
classification; percent of total households in Lebanon) |
|
Degree
of satisfaction |
| Very low
|
Low |
Intermediate
|
High |
Very high
|
Total |
| Water network |
9.8 |
- |
74.2 |
- |
16.0 |
100 |
| Potable water |
21.3 |
- |
60.6 |
- |
18.1 |
100 |
| Sewerage |
2.5 |
- |
37.2 |
- |
60.2 |
100 |
Water and
sewerage:
Households
Individuals
|
10.0
10.9 |
5.5
5.8 |
65.9
65.3 |
10.2
9.8 |
8.4
8.1 |
100
100 |
Living conditions index:
Households
Individuals |
7.1
6.8 |
25.0
28.4 |
41.6
42.2 |
21.9
19.3 |
4.5
3.3 |
100
100 |
|
Table
76: Distribution of households according to the degree of satisfaction
of basic needs in the field of water and sewerage
(3-level classification; percent of total households in Lebanon) |
|
Degree
of satisfaction |
| Low |
Intermediate |
High |
Total |
| Water network |
9.8 |
74.2 |
16.0 |
100 |
| Potable water |
21.3 |
60.6 |
18.1 |
100 |
| Sewerage |
2.5 |
37.2 |
60.2 |
100 |
Water
and sewerage index:
Households
Individuals |
15.5
16.7 |
65.9
65.3 |
18.6
18.0
|
100
100
|
Living conditions index:
Households
Individuals
|
32.1
35.2
|
41.6
42.2
|
26.4
22.6
|
100
100
|
|
