Expand more water projects to villages-Rubanda District boss Kasyaba says

By Moses Agaba

Rubanda

Access to clean, safe water for household purposes has remained a challenge for most of the families staying the rural hilly areas of Kigezi Sub-region for over the years as residents walk several miles using more than an hour in search of safe drinking water.

These families spend hours each day walking, collecting, and carrying clean water from far away water sources, with the majority traveling more than 4miles to access safe water for drinking, washing, cleaning as well as cooking this amount of time people spend on water collection has hindered their ability to work and effective studying for the learners hence affecting the economy.

Kasyaba the Rubanda LC5 Boss intertcts with official

The serious shortage of clean water in rural areas especially to homesteads in the hills of Rubanda district has pushed many communities to share water sources with animals a thing that has exposed them to waterborne diseases such as worm infections among others.

Ignatius Tibategyize a resident of Rutooma, Mpungu parish, Hamurwa Sub County in Rubanda District, says that they use about 3 hours to access clean water from a river that flows through the sub-county adding that because of the distance they are unable to carry a 20litres jerry can.

Tibategyize says that the in some instances they have failed to prepare food because of the lack of water.

Tibategyize says that excavated a local water collection pit to store rainwater during the rainy season for household use though he suspects its water to have been a cause to some diseases to his family.

Prosper Niwamanya, the managing director of Caring Hearts Organization says that the lack of enough water has exposed them to infections such as jiggers and that the school uses about Ugx 10000 daily on fetching water, and where they are unable to pay and is in need of a lot of water, teachers together with the learners are used.

He says that thing has much affected the schools’ regular activities and spending such a high percentage of earnings on water reduces overall household income and limits opportunities to build savings.

Access to safe drinking water in rural areas remains a challenge that has called for joint efforts from a cross-section of stakeholders to save the plight of people from contracting water-related diseases among other problems. In 2018, Africa Water Solutions in partnership with Water School in Canada launched a water and sanitation project aiming at providing access to safe water and promoting hygiene in homesteads located in hard-to-reach areas in Rubanda District and so far 300 rain harvest water tanks have been constructed in the district.

Stansirus Tumwesigye the Hamurwa Sub County LC3 Chairperson appreciates the establishment of rainwater harvest tanks saying that because of the hilly terrain of the area, they have been facing the challenge of moving a long distance to access clean water, residents added that these tanks will help them save time to do other works.

During the inspection of these tanks in the district on Thursday Rubanda district leaders led by the district LC5 Chairperson Stephen Kasyaba, RDC Lilian Ruteraho, and the Chief Administrative Officer Alex Kwizera asked the African Water Solutions and the partners to expand the water project to more villages where access to clean water is still a challenge.

Approximately 19% of Ugandans have access to streams, ponds, and unprotected hand-dug wells as sour