By Alex Gahima
Residents of Kagunga and Iremera Parishes in Bukimbiri Sub County, Kisoro district are set to benefit from the supply of Solar Powered Water Pumping Systems valued at 8.5 billion Shillings.
The project, being implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment, under Rural Water Supply Regional Centre (RWSRC) Mbarara is being supported by India Exim Bank.
Design Engineer, Lucia Phillis Cherotin, working with WSS Services said the Ministry of Water and Environment has taken deliberate action to increase coverage in Sub Counties, countrywide that have less than 50% access to safe water.
The proposed water supply project areas include 20 districts, 26 Sub Counties, 63 Parishes and over 600 villages across the country.
Cherotin says, upon compilation of the districts that needed such support, the two parishes of Kagunga and Iremera in Kisoro district were considered.
She further pointed out that Kisoro district is blessed with a lot of surface and ground water however the biggest challenge is the elevation where the water sources are deep within the valley.
The steep ridges and the land sliding nature has forced majority of the households to settle at the top of the hills.
“Getting water from the sources to the people was actually a very big challenge. We had to cover elevations of about 500 metres which is almost impossible in the engineering world”, Eng. Cherotin explained.
According to Cherotin, the project seeks to bring piped water to each household.
The project is set to serve 18,560 people in Iremera Parish and another 9,887 people in Kagunga.
The water will be abstracted from Kakura Springs to serve the entire Kagunga Parish and this will be done through a two-stage pumping process with the first reservoir at Biraara and another at Bamba.
The project seeks to further abstract water from Kajagyi, Kijuguta and Matare Springs to serve the entire Iremera Parish including the villages of Rushekye, Rugongwe, Nyamatsinda, Nyamiyaga, Kigyeyo, Bugomora, Kijuguta and Kisungu.
Kisoro District Water Officer Eng. Mberwa Cranmer said the communities should embrace the project adding that no compensation should be expected because the path of the pipes will not take up much space nor will it bother people engaged in agriculture.
Bukimbiri County Member of Parliament Hon Eddie Kwizera Wagahungu said Bukimbiri Sub County and Nyanamo Town Council did not have any water supply from the Gravity flow water schemes unlike in Kirundo, Rubuguri and Nyarutembe where the communities are able to get some water.
He commended the Government for responding to the cries of the people who are in urgent need of clean safe water.
Kisoro District LCV chairperson Abel Bizimana also commended the Government and the district Council for ensuring that the people of Bukimbiri get access to clean safe water using modern techniques unlike in the past where households are completely dependent on rainwater harvesting tanks.
Discussion about this post