KIGALI- Local government officials from all over the country, yesterday, met in Kigali to discuss ways of availing clean and safe water to the population.

The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Local Government, attracted technical experts from various ministries involved in projects to avail clean water.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Cyrille Turatsinze, noted that, though a large percentage of the population has access to clean water, there was still a lot more to do.

"Our target is to ensure that by 2020, every Rwandan can easily access clean water. So, we want even those areas that have not yet received clean water to access it,” Turatsinze said.

According to statistics from the ministry, over 80 percent of the population has access to safe water. In the urban and rural areas, the access rate stands at 92 percent and 75.7% respectively.

Meanwhile, despite the high percentage of access to clean water, participants expressed concern over the big disparity in water infrastructure amongst districts, especially in the Eastern Province, citing the case of Kirehe District, whose access rate stands at a mere 25 percent. 

The Government’s vision 2020 aims at availing clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to all Rwandans.

Zephaniah Munyanziza, the Executive Secretary from Bugesera District, noted that some areas like Ntarama needed more support.

"In our district, 73 percent of the population have access to water but there are still areas that are suffering.  I’m optimistic that this workshop will address this challenge,” he said.

Ends