Due to growing water demand in Egypt, the reuse of drainage water for irrigation purposes has become an important policy issue, while the pollution of drainage water interferes with such reuse. To prevent water pollution in rural areas, the processing of household garbage and domestic wastewater is important. However, rural areas are not considered under government policies. To preserve the quality of water in drainage canals, we initiated activities conducted by local residents to prevent the dumping of garbage and to construct wastewater treatment facilities. As a result of these activities, a garbage collection system and wastewater treatment facilities were developed under an operation and management system run by the residents. Thus, utilizing the power of community residents is one solution to water quality problems in rural areas.