World Water Day 2026: Strengthening Homs’ institutional capacity to monitor wastewater

On World Water Day 2026, AFS is spotlighting strengthening local systems can improve safe water access in Syria. In Homs, systems designed to treat water and ensure safe drinking supplies have been placed under severe strain by years of conflict and limited institutional capacity to manage water systems.

Raghda, who is Head of the Sewage Monitoring Division in the Homs Directorate of Water, is responsible for monitoring the quantity and quality of wastewater entering the sewer network and ensuring compliance with national standards. However, her work has been constrained by outdated data, as well as limited analytical capacity within her division. These gaps have made it difficult to identify which facilities are discharging noncompliant sewage into the sewer network, reducing the Directorate’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively to violations. This poses significant risks to public health and environmental safety, particularly in a context where approximately 90% of households rely on the municipal water network for their daily water needs.

To address these challenges and strengthen institutional capacity of the Directorate, national partner ATAA has been delivering a four-month technical and digital training programme to the Sewage Monitoring Division under its US$ 993,000 grant through Special Allocation 2. The programme focuses on enhancing engineering and data analysis skills. “The training on engineering software enabled me to map pollution sources in Homs, which has helped me develop more effective pollution monitoring plans”.

At the conclusion of the project, the pollution map, alongside associated tools, maintenance schedules, and planning templates, will be formally handed over to the Directorate for continued use.

This technical assistance has enabled safer water access for the people of Homs. “The more effective our monitoring mechanisms and water control become, the greater our ability to protect both the environment and public health,” says Raghda.