Urban Sanitation Beyond the Sewer Network

Many small and medium-sized cities across Europe face a similar challenge: parts of their urban or peri-urban areas are still not fully served by public sewerage systems, while households rely on septic tanks or other individual wastewater solutions that are often poorly recorded, insufficiently monitored, and difficult to manage in a coordinated way. This creates growing risks for groundwater, soil, public health and environmental compliance.

We would like to build an URBACT Action Network focused on practical, local and transferable solutions for managing wastewater in areas beyond the sewer network. The network could explore how cities can better map and understand on-site systems, assess environmental risks, improve local service delivery, strengthen governance arrangements, use digital tools such as GIS, and engage citizens through information and compliance-oriented approaches.

Ungheni, a border municipality in the Republic of Moldova and one of the country’s designated growth poles, is interested in joining such a network as an active project partner. The city brings a strong local policy interest in improving wastewater management, reducing pollution risks and building practical solutions that can later be scaled up. We are looking both for a Lead Partner and for project partners interested in shaping a focused and action-oriented network on this topic.