Why water sources are drying up in western Uganda

Why water sources are drying up in western Uganda

FELIX BASIIME

MBARARA (Monitor, Februray 16, 2007) The government is still investing more resources in the water infrastructure even as some Gravity Water Schemes (GWS) in the west start drying up. Less than five years ago, the government set up several GWSs in the hills of Rwampara, Kashari in Mbarara district and Kamwenge and Ibanda districts. Records show that each GWS cost about Shs 970 million but unfortunately some have started drying up. Others with water have dwindled in quantity making the beneficiaries line-up for water for long hours. A case in point is the Kikyenkye GWS in Ibanda and the Rubindi GWS in Kashari where some stand taps are already dry and the water tanks empty due to less pressure to push the water up the tanks. These were some of the observations raised at a regional workshop of inter district water development stakeholders in Mbarara from February 7 to 9, 2007. The workshop, that was organised by the Department for Water Development (DWD), was attended by chief administrative officers (CAOs), LC5 chairmen, district water officers, community development mobilisers, NGOs among other stakeholders. Participants shared lessons, challenges and harmonised work plans for all stakeholders involved in the provision of water for domestic and rural production. This comes at the time when the region is faced with the gradual drying up of water bodies among them River Rwizi, the main water source for Mbarara town. Among the observations raised was the question of funding water sources construction under conditional grants for domestic use and rural production. It was noted that the scheme was not sustainable despite the government's interventions taking water as a priority for funding. During the same workshop, DWD's Engineer Ian Aribahona, emphasised that Local governments (LC5s) should commit 70 percent of the conditional grants for water to infrastructure development. "People think that water is constant, no, it fluctuates according to the management of the catchment area," Mr Jeconious Musingwire told Daily Monitor in an interview. Mr Musingwire is the western region NEMA focal person for public awareness and Education and also the Mbarara district environment inspector. He adds, "Some of the GWS are over stretched, they serve more than the required number of taps, a case in point is the stand pipe in Kanoni in Ibanda. It is dry because the planning could not establish how many taps could be served by the scheme," Mr Musigwire, who did his Msc at Makerere in Environment and Natural Resources in 2006 wrote a Thesis on Water quality assessment of surface water in Mbarara Municipality. He said district authorities don't subject these projects (GWS) to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). "No hydrological report or EIA is done on these projects before to reveal the status of the underground water and also the recharging potential because the extraction of water at any water body should let at least 30 percent of the flowing water to continue rather than channel all of it to the pipes," he says. Mr Musingwire said channelling of available water at the aquifers (water sources), affects other water bodies in the surroundings.                            Planning and funding  While the government is giving more priority to provision of water both for domestic use and rural production, most of these projects are done under water departments who at most depend on "Social economic assessments" but no hydrological reports because there are no hydrologists at district level. "Water departments identify water sources, hills for gravity, shallow wells which is a decentralised service. we are hitting a snag in white elephants due to lack of hydrologists," said Mr Musingwire adding that there are no financial commitment for environmental restoration interventions for the already degraded catchment areas which are serving water bodies".                              LC's view In August 2006 during an LC5 council session, the report by the Works Sectoral Committee stated that the water source at Bucuro and Rubindi GWS in Kashari "escaped". But Mr Musingwire wondered how this could happen. "Because when it escapes, it means it has shifted from one place to another or it has run away but what the politicians are saying is that the GWS dried up due to the aquifers getting dry faster than the recharging natural system".                             Why River Rwizi is drying up According to Mr Musingwire, the Rwizi will dry up because most of its catchment areas are being mismanaged at a high rate among them are wetlands and GWS. He said the Rwizi gets water from Itojo wetland system (Ntungamo), Bujaga/ Nyaikaikara wetland (Mbarara), Nyakambu wetland (Buhweju, Bushenyi) and Kooga wetland system (Sheema/Kashari). "These wetland systems are naturally replenished by the water sources in the ridges of Buhwa and Bucuro (In Buhweju and Kashari), Ryengoma (in Ibanda) and Rubindi that are also being tapped for GWS," said Mr Musingwire. "If these GWSs sources are being tapped without proper hydrological survey and EIA, the outcome is that the ridges, the wetlands and River Rwizi will all dry up". The size of Rwizi is thinning gradually. National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) took over the water and sanitation services in Mbarara town in 1987. The area has piped network coverage of 145.2 km. Mbarara municipality has close to 70,000 people (by 2007) but NWSC targets a population of 92,750 and serves 74,930 people daily through pumping water only from River Rwizi. Water is treated at two Water Treatment Plants both drawing the raw water from River Rwizi. The older plant at Kabale Road treats about 700 m3 per day while Ruharo plant treats about 3800 m3 per day. NWSC extends water services to Kaberebere town, 14km in the South, to Rutoma/Bwizibwera 30km in the North, Biharwe 12km to the East and Ruti 6km to the West. The government also plans to tap more water from River Rwizi to supply the dry areas of Isingiro and Rakai districts. More often President Yoweri Museveni has said they plan to pump water up the Isingiro hills into tanks then it runs by gravity flow to Ngarama and Rakai areas. The government also plans to extend piped water from Lake Kakyeera in Rakai district to Lyantonde town. Rwizi also waters Kakyeera.                               Way forward According to Mr Musingwire, hydrology services should be decentralised to do the initial work on GWS. Currently the service is still centralised. The government should also use civil engineers rather than sociologists in water projects. He thinks the government should put money first in looking for the causes of water scarcity in the region then in infrastructure later.