Water is the cheapest basic good in Rwanda but the past few months
have proved everything but that, Kigali`s majority have been most
affected with this un foreseen water shortage
Most of Kigali dwellers have not been able to afford water tanks that could act as storage equipment for the dry days, walking to boreholes has proved the only alternative.
Gertrude Kirabo a mother of three residing in Kanombe wakes up every morning at four in a bid to beat the expected long queues at the bore hole. “I have to get up very early in the morning so as to get water for my husband`s bath before he goes to work,” she laments.
Armed with two yellow twenty liter jerry cans this thirty seven year old house wife is in danger of having permanent back problems from the daily water carrying. “i have no option, all my children are below ten years so they can’t help me with the water fetching,” she adds.
Akingenye Josephine a grandmother of five is a little luckier as she is helped by two of her grandsons to collect the water but even with this she says,” the government should help us and solve this problem as it affects the studies of my grandchildren, the children have to be at school before eight in the morning but the now get there past nine as they have to wait in line for the long queues at the bore holes, luckily they are in their short term holidays currently.”
Why water scarcity?
On contacting, Water and Sanitation co-operation Authority (WASAC), the national body in charge of water Angellique Umutoni the public relations officer cited the problem to the changing climate, “being a dry season (the water levels have gone down thus less water is pumped out,” he explains the reason for the water scarcity.
Mr.Theomist, the director in charge of water utilities at the WASAC further adds,” there has been an increase in the number of consumers in the country and the government has expanded its water networks to the rural areas, people should get ways of securing their water and use it sparingly,” he advises.
So what happens to the urban poor that cannot afford the expensive storage equipment? “There are days when we are left at the plight of the heavens, with no water for as long as two days, how do we have to survive?” asks Rosemary Rugerindinda a stay home house-wife.
With majority of the affected in sub-urban areas of Kigali, the women bare the plight as traditionally the wife is supposed to make sure the day to day running of the homestead is in order. Being at a high risk of permanent disturbing body pain in form of back aches and straighten arms, the future health of these Rwandan women looks anything but bleak.” We are working around the corner to increase the number of boreholes per sector “Mr.Theomist adds