NYANZA – Residents living in rural areas of three districts in the Southern Province are set to benefit from a new water project.A study is already being carried out in the three districts of Ruhango, Muhanga and Nyanza.The study, commissioned by the Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), under its National Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (PNEAR), is being conducted by a Tunisian company, SCET-Tunisie.On Friday, provincial officials, EWSA and SCET-Tunisie officials met to discuss the provisional findings of the study. The discussions focused on a draft water distribution master plan in the three districts.The study revealed that access to clean water is still a challenge in the three districts. It indicates that only 55 per cent of rural residents in Nyanza District have access to clean water, with Ruhango and Muhanga at 60 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively.According to Albert Yaramba, the coordinator of PNEAR, the study intends to determine the needs in clean water, identify potential water sources, how much money is needed and how long it shall take to supply clean water to rural residents in the mentioned districts.The study, which kicked off last year, will be concluded in the next six months, he said."We hope that by September [of this year] we will have concluded the identification of all the needs to supply water and proceed with raising funds for the project,” Yaramba told The New Times.The water project is expected to be in billions of Francs."The timeframe for the project will depend on the availability of funds. The districts will work hand in hand with the central government and the water authority (EWSA) for the implementation of the project,” Yaramba observed.He further noted that another project to supply water in seven cities across the country is underway. The cities to benefit from the programme include Muhanga, Nyanza, Karongi, Rubavu, Gicumbi, Ngoma and Rusizi.Southern Province Governor, Alphonse Munyantwali, observed that the water supply master plan in the three districts was crucial in solving the shortage of clean water in rural areas.He observed that the supply will take into consideration the existing policies and community development programmes such as community settlements (Imidugudu)."Authorities have already identified residential areas and when the supply starts, the sites will be given priority,” Munyantwali noted.