Prolonged water shortage in the city and surrounding suburbs continues to leave bitter tastes in the mouths of many as general inconvenience, health concerns and the niggling matter of financial losses are counted by households, businesses and other public institutions in one way or the other.

To make matters worse, no one seems sure of when the quagmire will be arrested even as authorities, last week, moved to announce restructuring of water billing that takes effect beginning next month.

The New Times, this week, conducted a mini-survey in parts of the city and its suburbs to assess the how dry taps are biting the populace. Most of the areas visited, including Nyamirambo, Gikondo, Kimironko, Remera, Kanombe, Kacyiru, among others, were found to be struggling to cope with irregular water cuts.

City dwellers said a few months ago, the Water and Sanitation Corporation Limited (WASAC), the water utility agency, would ration water supply to different sectors or cells on different days, which was consistent.

This way, one would almost certainly know that, for instance, on Sunday, there would be no water all day until around the break of the day on Monday. This ensured they were ready and stored water accordingly.

However, since last month, the situation has deteriorated to a point where many city residents say they just cannot tell when water will be flowing from the taps or when it does, for how long.

Trudging in the noon heat in Nyamirambo Sector, on Monday, she carried two jerrycans; a 20-litre one that was empty, and a five-litre jerrycan filled with water.

Emerance Nyiraneza told this newspaper she had gone to the neighbours to ‘beg’ for some water as her family’s reserve was drained.

"I had gone at our neighbours to see if they might have stored water during the night but they, too, had almost nothing. We are facing serious water shortage in this area. Taps in this area only flow water once a week, on Tuesday, some times late at night when people are sleeping,” Nyiraneza said.

"At my home, water did not even come at night. The little other neighbours have is being sold at Rwf200 per jerrycan,” she added.

Near Nyamirambo market, Pierre Ngiruwonsanga, the woodworker, said: "I live at ‘Kurya nyuma’ near the Kigali Regional Sstadium, a jerrycan of water goes for Rwf500. We buy from people with tank reservoirs at such exorbitant fee but we have no alternative. We heard that WASAC might increase prices but I hope they will improve service delivery.”

Schools, businesses count cost

The situation worsens as it affects businesses and institutions like schools.

Celestin Dusingizemungu, who this newspaper found carrying two jerrycans of water as he entered one of roadside restaurants in Nyamirambo, said: "I have fetched this water from Biryogo area; it is in another sector (of Nyarugenge). I get paid Rwf300 per jerrycan.”

Dusingizemungu, like several other young men, eke a living ferrying water for households and other public utilities such as restaurants.

Restaurants workers said they give at least Rwf50 when water is available or use their own taps.

"If we have been using 10 jerrycans on Rwf500 when water is available, there is an increase of Rwf2,500 as wage of transporter and over Rwf200 to buy a single jerrycan of water, which, ultimately, affects our operations,” a restaurant attendant said, preferring anonymity.

At Intwari Primary School, opposite Nyamirambo Police Station, an administrator who spoke The New Times on condition of anonymity, said during the last term three months ago, water shortage hit the school hard.

"We have about 2,800 pupils and, despite being on holidays, we think if water shortage lasts until the beginning of third term next week, school activity will be affected. This school is big with many rooms and toilets that need regular cleaning to maintain hygiene of the children,” the administrator said.

"The toilets for staff on second floor have been closed because of lack of water. In the past, we would burden the pupils with bringing water in small jerrycans from their homes but we can’t continue doing so.”

In Gikondo, Kicukiro District, some residents claimed that Kabutare Cell of Kigarama Sector has not had water for nearly a month and the people have resorted to using streams..

The New Times found locals around Merez Petroleum Station ferrying water, with some using wheelbarrows to push their loads.

Theophile Irankunda, a menial worker at a construction site, said they were buying a jerrycan of water at Rwf200 at the weekend, but that by Monday, it was Rwf100 after the area had some water.

In Kamukina Cell of Kimihurura Sector, homes also do not get water at the same intervals.

Students of the University of Kigali who rent in one of the homes around Kamukina said, for the last three months, water has been flowing only twice a week and late in the night, around 2am.

"The previous and last night water did not come. I have recently passed two hours on long queues at a fountain in the valley,” said Eric Tuyubahe, in Nyenyeri Village.

A walk around Kimironko behind the park and the areas toward Gasabo Prison revealed similar tales of desperate dwellers carrying water jerrycans. A similar scenario could be seen in Remera Sector in the neighbourhoods behind Amohoro Stadium, and Kabeza in Kanombe Sector.

WASAC pledges solutions

Methode Rutagungira, the director of urban water and sewerage services at WASAC, told The New Times that the water utility is not sitting on the problem but working round the clock to find a solution.

"Water shortage is a serious issue because we still have too little water for Kigali’s population. We try to share available production, especially during dry seasons like now,” Rutagungira said.

"As an immediate intervention, we are trying to have reserve forces circulate water using mobile tanks in areas like Nyamirambo, Kimironko, Gikondo and others to get close to those who need water and sell it to them at more affordable prices than what laymen are selling.”

Responding to why suburbs have irregular water cut timings, Rutagungira said the geographical features of the city are also challenging the supply chain, adding that they are conducting a modeling study called "network upgrading” that will correct the anomalies once it is completed.

He said there are different projects to avail more clean water to meet the huge demand in the City of Kigali.

Wasac can only now avail 65,000 cubic metres of water per day in the city against the demand of 110,000 cubic metres per day, he said.

"We have projects like ‘Nzove’ to supply 90,000 cubic metres per day by December and ‘Nzove II’ project to provide 25,000 cubic metres and the rehabilitation of ‘Nzove I’ to supply between 26,000 to 40,000 cubic metres of water. We also have ‘Kanzenze project’ to supply 40,000 cubic metres and the long-term expected supply from ‘Mutobo project’ with 100,000 cubic metres per day,” he said.

In the meantime, he added, WASAC has allocated Rwf4 billion toward the rehabilitation of water supplies in the city, especially in Kicukiro, Gikondo, Rebero and Mageragere.

Some experts argue that Rwanda has enough water production capacity to serve its population but that what is lacking is enough storage facilities and treatment plants to limit water losses.

"There is need of storage facilities to retain water. The city needs to build reservovoirs for rainwater. We lose water in March and then suffer in summer. Lack of plants and dams to retain water and avail it when needed in the dry season, means the resource evaporates at 70 per cent and more flows to Lake Victoria and the country remains with no water to use,” said Vincent de Paul Kabalisa, the in-charge of integrated water resource management at the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw