Ministry of Water to establish more water schemes

This was revealed by the Acting Director at the Directorate of Water, Eng. Joseph Eyatu, who is also the commissioner for rural water in the ministry

He said this is part of efforts to increase water access in the country, revealing that these schemes are targeting to serve over 1000 villages.

“Access to safe and clean water is still a challenge to Uganda as a country. Our efforts to establish more water schemes will help people in villages access clean and safe water,” he said.

He further added that they are also to set up 50 solar water systems targeting the least covered areas.

According to Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), about 11 million people live without access to clean water, and this can lead to some difficult choices.

Families in rural areas spend hours each day walking, collecting and carrying clean water from far away sources. About 32% people spend hours in fetching water.

The excessive amount of time people spend on water collection hinders their ability to work and affects the economy. A family needs around 20 liters (5.28 gallons) per person for drinking, washing, cleaning and cooking.

Approximately only 19% of Ugandans have access to streams, ponds and unprotected hand-dug wells as sources of drinking water.

Unsafe water is one of the largest barriers to eradicating extreme poverty. The lack of adequate filtration systems and loss of vegetation, which acts as a natural filtration system, lead to various health problems. Human waste, soil sediments, fertilizers and mud all run into drinking water sources due to the widespread absence of proper toilets and showers. According to BioMed Central, 22% of the deaths of Ugandan children under the age of five are due to diarrhea.