STELLA T
Residents of Rukungiri District are grappling with a severe water shortage, with some forced to walk up to three kilometers to access water.
Agaba Emmy Rubondo, the LCIII Chairperson of Buyanja Sub-county and a resident of Rubanga Parish, told our reporter that he spends 4,000 Ugandan shillings daily to secure clean water for domestic use. He explained that they used to rely on boreholes, streams, and rivers in nearby valleys during the rainy season, but these water sources have dried up.
Rubondo emphasized that the community has long struggled with a lack of access to clean water, leading to frequent cases of waterborne diseases as they often drink contaminated water shared with animals.
Yeremia Bunyabahika, the LC1 Chairperson of Kishanda I, noted that the situation is even more dire during school days, making it difficult for mothers to prepare their children for school due to the long hours spent searching for water. He highlighted the congestion at the few available water points, where one borehole serves over 400 people from eleven villages. It can take more than two hours for a person to fetch water, prompting Yeremia to call on authorities to drill more boreholes in the area.
Deus Twekwase, the Senior Engineer for the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Rukungiri District, stated that NWSC faces several challenges, including frequent mechanical breakdowns and unreliable electricity, which hinders the operation of heavy pumps needed to distribute water across areas mapped for NWSC services.
Deus suggested that diversifying water sources for the Kahege project and upgrading infrastructure with the latest technology to improve resilience and redundancy could stabilize the water supply. However, these improvements are costly. He urged Rukungiri residents to be patient as they work to resolve the situation.
