Water crisis to hit Eastern Africa

Mugira Fredrick 18/11/2007
Experts are warning of devastating water crisis by 2030 in the countries within the River Nile basin if nothing is done now to address the issue of ever increasing population in this region.

Wagaye Teshome, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) consultant in the Nile basin says there would be a crisis of water scarcity by the year 2030 in the countries that form the Nile basin due to increased population which is leading to encroachment on wetlands and forest lands which are essential in formation of rain.

There are about 10 countries in the Nile basin including Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Sudan.

Wagaye says that projections by her agency reveal that the population in most of these countries which doubled in the last 20 years will again double in the next 20 years, hence causing a great demand for water while its availability will be low due to encroachment on wetlands and forest lands among others.

Wagaye was speaking at the East African regional conference on Population, Health and Environment in Addis Ababa Ethiopia organized by the USA’s Population Reference Bureau.

“All the forest area will be under cropland by the year 2030 in order to support the population. Water will be a big issue as it will be much less compared to what is there at the moment,” Said Wagaye.

According to the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) food expert, many countries along the Nile river basin irrigate their land, but with decreasing water levels, the water will not be enough for this and other needs.

She urged the countries in the basin to focus on irrigating their land and family planning, in order to produce few children and more food from the available land

Apart from Kenya and Egypt, all the countries in the Nile basin are among the world's 50 poorest nations.

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Irrigation for Apple growing in Ethiopia

Mugira Fredrick 18/11/2007

Farmers in the Welmera, one of the dry districts of Ethiopia have embarked on a project that uses irrigation to grow apples.

The project in the Adaa Elu area involves 34 families. They use drip method of irrigation system to water their growing apple trees. Drip irrigation, involves running water through pipes containing holes either buried or lying slightly above the ground next to the crops. Water slowly drips onto the crop roots and stems.

The farmers who are organized under the organization – Farmers Forestry Development Cooperation got the apples they planted from Spain.

The head of the cooperation, Zewde Muleta told a group of East African journalists who visited this area last week in a trip organized by the USA’s Population Reference Bureau that this area faces acute shortage of water which is the reason why they are using irrigation to grow apples.

The waters are drawn from the nearby small stream, which Zewde Muleta says that dries up sometimes when sunshine intensifies.

Speaking through an interpreter, Muleta lamented continued lack of enough water in this region stressing that there is need for alternative sources of water to help people in this area grow crops.

He stressed that local people in this area move for over half an hour to collect water from wells which at times is not safe. This, he says waste time that would have otherwise been invested in other productive activities.

Muleta was however optimistic that irrigation of their apple gardens would help them to produce enough apples to export to international markets.

Ethiopia has a developmental plan of extending water in every village in the next five years.

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A 45,000 dollar project in Ethiopia benefits 4000

Fredrick Mugira 18/11/2007
A 45,000 dollar water project that uses solar to pump water from underground is currently benefiting over 4000 people in the Adaa Liben district in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

The project is situated 60 kilometers south of Addis Ababa. It was sponsored by an organization of civil societies in Germany in collaboration with The Environment and Development Society of Ethiopia (LEM Ethiopia)

Mogues Worku, the executive director of The Environment and Development Society of Ethiopia (LEM Ethiopia) says the project has greatly helped to extend safe water to the people in the area that was originally faced with a severe shortage of water.

He says that machines powered by solar electricity are now extracting water from over 8 meters underground which is in turn distributed to the local people in the area.

Worku says that originally, they were using generators to run machines that extract water but after venturing into the use of solar energy, they have been able to do this cheaply. He reveals that they have so far managed to, "save thousands of dollars."

He also stresses that the project is currently giving employment to several people.

Mogues says that there is need to construct more of such projects to help people in dry country of Ethiopia to access safe water.

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Dozens Trained In Water Tanks Construction

Mugira Fredrick 23/10/2007
Atleast 23 persons have been trained in construction of water tanks in Kabale district, in Uganda under a project aimed at equipping the local people with skills to construct and manage their own water projects.

The one month water harvest technology and sanitation course was carried out by the Kigezi diocese, of the Church of Uganda. The participants were drawned from not only Kabale district but also Kiruhura and Isingiro districts.

According to Reverend Rauben Byomuhangi, the Kigezi Diocese’s water and sanitation coordinator, the participants were trained in building Ferro-cement water tanks.

Ferro-cement water tanks are made of a cement-rich mortar reinforced with layers of wire mesh. They are usually cheap to construct and require less skilled labor. Several local people in Uganda own these water tanks which are used to collect water from iron-roofed houses overtime it rains.

Rev. Byomuhangi says those trained would go back home and help to teach and construct water tanks in their communities especially at such a time when there are a lot of rains in country. Rev. Byomuhangi urges those trained not to waste their gained skills.

The same call was sounded by Bishop George Katwesigye of Kigezi diocese while commissioning those trained at the diocese’s headquarters in Kabale.

He urged them to use the gained skills to create their own jobs that could help them get income.

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Uganda’s Famous Kitagata Natural Hot Springs Up For Development

Mugira Fredrick 22/10/2007
Authorities in Uganda are calling for investors to develop the famous Kitagata natural hot springs in Bushenyi district as either a modern tourism site or a geothermal project.

Kitagata natural hot springs are situated in Bushenyi district about 350 kms west of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

Geresom Kabasekye Mukiga, the man in charge of these springs who is also a guide says there is need for an investor to develop the hot springs into a tourist site that can help government to earn revenues.

He says there is need for construction of a hotel close to the hot springs to always accommodate tourists that visit them. The hot springs are situated just in a walkable distance from the village town of Kitagata.

Speaking in Runyankore, the local language there, Kabasekye said that, “Up to 60,000 dollars is needed to develop the springs to become a standard tourist attraction site.” He laments that if the government owned springs are not given to investors to develop them, they might extinct because the local people are encroaching on them at a high rate. He says the local people neighboring the hot springs are planting eucalyptus trees close to them which are partly threatening to dry them.

Kitagata hot springs are also well known for their curative waters. Patients from as far as 100 kms flock the springs to soak themselves in the spring waters to heal them. Some other patients drink the sulphur rich waters of the hot springs for cure from rheumatism and arthritis.

It is on this background that officials from over ten districts of western Uganda that were attending a one day awareness workshop on promoting alternative energy sources in Uganda , on Monday 22/10/07 that urged health officials in the country to carry out intensify researches on these hot waters with an aim of using them as medicine.

At the same workshop, Bazira Henry a researcher and consultant with the National Association of Professional Environmentalists-NAPE appealed to districts in Uganda which have hot springs like Bushenyi to develop proposals for geothermal projects as one way of identifying other alternative energy sources.

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Water Meters in Uganda Stolen to Make Fake Coin Currencies.

Mugira Fredrick 24/10/2007
The national providers of water and sewerage services in Uganda – The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) are concerned about the increasing cases of thefts of water meters in most of the upcountry towns in the country.

The water meters which are made of Copper and Ziric are reportedly stolen by people who later melt them to make fake coin currency. The theft of these meters makes it hard for the NWSC to effectively monitor water supplies.

Dozens of water meters in western town of Mbarara have been stolen in the recent weeks. The Mbarara municipality residential area of Rwebikoona seems to be the worst affected. Over10 residents report the theft of their water meters in the past weeks. Turyamureba John, one of the residents says, “My water meter and a tap were stolen on Id Fitri day.” He says some of the stolen water taps end up in shops and are resold at a give away price.

The Mbarara branch of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation says it has received reports of thefts of water meters and is carrying out investigations.

Similar thefts of water meters have been reported in the Eastern town of Soroti. Alex Ojera, the accountant for the Soroti branch for National Water and Sewerage Corporation says that the total cost caused by the thefts of water meters in recent weeks is about 1,058 dollars.

He says this is affecting their strategy of extending and monitoring water supplies to the local people. He identifies the worst affected places as Moru Apesur, Kengere and Kiganda cells.

In the Uganda’s town of Masaka, the theft of water meters has greatly affected the areas of Ssaza, Kimaanya and Nyendo town in the Municipality.

Police in Masaka say they are investigating several cases related to the theft of water meters in these areas.

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