Rwanda, alongside Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Uganda are set to benefit from a project to improve access to water in rural areas under the Empower Wash-Africa II programme, running from November 2024 to 2026. ALSO READ: Rwanda: AfDB approves over $270m for water access, sanitation The project targets 12 rural districts (two per country) and aims to enhance Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services for over 500,000 beneficiaries. Gicumbi and Rulindo Districts in Rwanda are set to benefit from the project. The Rwf828 million will focus on strengthening the capacities of rural municipalities to effectively manage WASH services. It also addresses the critical challenge of improving the resilience of WASH systems in the face of climate change. The ultimate goal is to ensure equitable and sustainable access to water and sanitation for all according to Gemma Maniraruta, the Director General in Charge of Water and Sanitation in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA). ALSO READ: Rwanda: AfDB approves over $270m for water access, sanitation We want to maintain water supply infrastructure in rural areas. There are 430 water supply systems countrywide that are no longer operating. Gicumbi and Rulindo districts are part of districts where such systems need to be improved. Residents will get water supply again.The project will also create jobs, she noted. The diseases caused by poor hygiene and lack of water access will also decrease, she added. Despite many households still facing water shortage across the country, over 44 per cent of water supplied within different networks is lost according to recent statistics by Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) on water and sanitation. From December 2019 to March 2020, the quantity of water supplied into the network was 12.9 million cubic meters whereas 7.1 million cubic meters were only billed leaving 5.8 million cubic meters lost and unbilled. ALSO READ: Wasac repairs Kigali’s 'undersized' water pipes in Rwf20bn project Rwanda targets 100% universal access to clean water but such lost water is still a challenge that causes shortage of water in some areas. This lost water is dubbed “Non-revenue water” meaning water that has been produced and is “lost” before it reaches the customer. ALSO READ: WASAC Group mulls ways to reduce non-revenue water losses The report showed that of 1017 rural water supply systems in the country, 423 were fully functional representing about 41.6 per cent; 474 accounting for 46 per cent of them are partially functional, while 121 of them representing 11.9 per cent are non-functional. It says 9,959 public water taps were non-functional out of 16,435. Of 430 water supply networks, 190 have been rehabilitated, she noted. The same problem has been recorded in the six African countries to benefit from the project. In Africa, access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation services remains a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most affected regions, with nearly 400 million people lacking access to safe drinking water. Only 46% of the rural population has access to quality water, compared to 81% in urban areas. The disparities are even more pronounced in sanitation, where only 24% of rural inhabitants have access to improved facilities, such as latrines, compared to 42% in urban settings. This alarming inequality shows the urgent need for interventions to ensure equitable and sustainable access to water and sanitation services, particularly as 80% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population resides in rural areas. ALSO READ: Rwanda needs $400m to meet water demand by 2050 Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected, with 400 million people lacking a reliable source of drinking water. Only 46% of the rural population and 81% of the urban population have access to drinking water. The African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) has decided to expand its interventions to address the problem in rural communities. The interventions align with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which aims to 'ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 said Siméon Kenfack, the Director of Programmes at AfWASA. We support our members. We were supporting urban areas but with SDGs, we have to support rural areas to have sanitation and water for all. As a Pan African association we have to address Water, Sanitation and Hygiene challenges by capacity building, he said. Judith Mukanyirigira, the Mayor of Rulindo District which will benefit from the project reiterated that water supply systems which were damaged will be rehabilitated. The functional water supply systems will also be maintained thanks to the capacity building. Damage of such infrastructure will be prevented, she said. According to project developers, WASH related diseases will be reduced. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)-related diseases in Rwanda include cholera, typhoid fever, shigellosis, hepatitis A and E, schistosomiasis, and diarrheal diseases. These diseases can be caused by unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation.
