330 Kicukiro villages get clean water

Kicukiro district, in partnership with the Energy Water and Sanitation Authority and Water for People Rwanda, yesterday inaugurated seven water and sanitation projects worth Rwf 258 million in different villages. The facilities include piped water supply, rainwater storage and harvesting tanks as well as ecological toilets.The project aims at providing the district with clean water for all its residents.According to one of the beneficiaries, the project was timely. “We are proud of the Rwandan policy to bring clean water nearer to the people. We used to consume contaminated water from wells which made us suffer from water-borne diseases,” Pascasie Bucyensenge said. “Also our clothes never became clean however much they were washed because of dirty water.”Gako settlement in Masaka Sector is one of the areas which got rain water storage tanks. Residents say it was so difficult to get water as they had to move for more than two kilometres to reach the nearest water source.“We used to fetch water from Rugende, it is like two kilometres from where we live but now you can see every house has got its own tank, we are so proud of this,” another beneficiary, Vestine Mukabaseka, said.The coordinator of Water for People in Rwanda, Perpetue Kamuyumbu, said the project was facilitated by efforts of various stakeholders including the citizens who showed their commitment by offering physical support. She said the target was to extend clean water to all Kicukiro residents.The Mayor of Kicukiro District, Paul Jules Ndamage, said now that he is sure 328 villages have access to clean water, he hopes no resident will suffer from water borne diseases again.He called on residents to protect the water infrastructures so they can last.To ensure that the projects continue to serve the communities for years to come, a number of masons were given training on construction techniques of rainwater harvesting and ecological toilets.These projects which started in March 2012 are expected to contribute massively to the access to water and sanitation whose coverage is now estimated at 95 per cent for water and 70 per cent for sanitation.The government has committed itself to the ambitious goal to have 100 per cent to safe drinking water and sanitation services by the end of 2017.

National

330 Kicukiro villages get clean water