The Urban Rehabilitation and Renovation Agency (ARRU) has undertaken the rehabilitation of 130 hectares in the Aichoucha- Airport neighbourhood, a 600-hectare district in the Raoued municipality (Ariana governorate), as part of the 1st generation of the Working-Class Districts Integration and Rehabilitation Programme (PRIQH1). "This action has helped achieve a real transformation of the urban landscape in this neighbourhood, which is characterised by the spread of random and illegal urbanisation and anarchic construction, despite the fact that it is very close to the capital," engineer and head of ARRU projects in Ariana governorate Hassen Rebai told TAP. Raoued is located on the north coast of Tunisia, on the outskirts of the capital Tunis, just 20 km from the city centre. "The neighbourhood is located in a low-lying area close to the Raoued Sebkha, an area at risk of flooding. This is why ARRU has undertaken drainage work, installed a sewage network, brought in electricity, asphalted the area and rehabi litated 175 homes," the official explained. These works, he added, had been carried out through two projects involving an investment of around TND 16 million, knowing that around two-thirds of the area is not covered by these two projects because most of the dwellings had been built after completion of the studies. As part of these projects, about 18 km of roads were asphalted, 18 km of wastewater drainage channels were installed, 10 km of rainwater drainage network were set up, 5 km of drinking water distribution works, electrification by equipping roads with 600 light points and renovation of about 500 homes. The neighbourhood still needs work on other projects, including the setting up of sewage treatment units and drinking water connection points, said Rebai. The PRIQH1, which has been active since 2012, is based on three main aspects: road development, wastewater treatment and public lighting and the renovation of houses to improve the living conditions of residents in the targeted neighbourhoods. The PRIQH 2 was officially launched in July 2019 and will help improve the living conditions of 800,000 Tunisians in 146 working-class neighbourhoods. In Tunisia, around two-thirds of the population live in urban areas. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse