IN The New Times issue of September 15, under the headline ‘Musanze residents decry lack of safe, clean water’, residents of Gataraga Sector in Musanze District decried the lack of clean water in their area and appealed to authorities for immediate intervention. The residents say they have no option but to use muddy water from Mutobo River. 

This is a serious concern that the authorities should address as a matter of urgency, but as the residents wait for a long-term solution, they should temporarily come up with basic local solutions to the problem.

In the story, residents admitted that they are the ones responsible for contamination of the river because they wash clothes and swim in it. This is quite disturbing because the same people complaining about the dirty water are the ones contaminating it.

Before even the authorities intervene, the community should mobilise and ensure that the river is not contaminated by area residents.

Local leaders in the area should sensistise the community about the dangers of washing from the lake and dumping waste there. If need be stringent measures can be taken against those found washing in the river or contaminating it in any other way.  Each member of the community should know that it is their responsibility not to contaminate the source of their water. And, the locals should also be sensitised to always boil the water before drinking it. 

Nonetheless, although 70 per cent of Rwandans have access to clean water, such cases constitute a setback and a solution needs to be devised urgently.