The Chamber of Deputies has raised concern about the water crisis in Nyagatare District, Eastern Province, and called on the line ministry to move in and solve the problem immediately. The responsibility falls under the Ministry of Lands and Environment.The deputies’ concern follows a recent cholera outbreak in the district, which killed15 people in Rukomo Sector. A report presented by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs shows that Nyagatare has no water station where people can get clean water. The report says that a number of citizens in the district as a result resort to fetching dirty water from nearby swamps and River Muvumba. MP Claire Kayirangwa who presented the report said that the commission visited the district and met with citizens to access the magnitude of the problem. Residents told the commission that they fetch water for domestic use from ponds, she said. She said that people there walk long distances looking for clean water from the few boreholes in the district. “Rukomo sector faces stringent water crisis with only two boreholes serving a population of over 5,000 people,” she explained. She cited College Etienne de Muvumba, a secondary school in Rukomo, which has no water and students resort to fetching it from the surrounding swamps and a privately owned pond at Frw100 per jerry can.Some people have resorted to cutting the few water pipes and diverted them to their gardens, Kayirangwa disclosed.The lawmaker added that some of the water pipes are worn-out and need to be replaced to enable the masses easily access clean water. MP Connie Bwiza stressed that the water crisis in the district especially in Rukomo is seriously affecting citizens. However, Kayirangwa said that they discussed the problem with the line ministry which promised to deal with the problem shortly.Ends
