RUBANDA: Residents in Muko Sub County, Rubanda District are grappling with scarcity of clean water for home consumption.
Residents from four villages of Kagano, Karengyere, Rwamahano, and Rwaburindi in Muko Sub-county, express the challenge they face in accessing clean water. They recount instances where they’ve had to trek long distances in search of clean water.
To alleviate the situation, Trades of New Hope, a local Non-Government Organization, in collaboration with Designs for Hope, has initiated a water project worth Ugx 125 million. Laban Biryomumeisho, the director of Trades of New Hope, stated that they recognized the water scarcity issue affecting these communities and felt compelled to intervene.
CUE IN BIRYOMUMEISHO…ON PROJECT……RR/ENG//
Chris Aaron, the Executive Director for Designs of Hope, highlighted the dire circumstances faced by the locals in accessing clean water and expressed their organization’s decision to support the project. Residents such as Jason Mukama, Immaculate Orishaba, and Godfrey Ntamuturano welcomed the initiative, acknowledging that access to clean water would significantly improve their lives.
CUE IN RESIDENTS….ON THE MATTER…..RR//
One of the affected villages, Rwamahano, is particularly known for its Batwa community, an indigenous group that once inhabited the forests of Bwindi, Echuya, and Mgahinga in the Kigezi sub-region. The Batwa, a semi-nomadic pygmy tribe, historically relied on these forests for sustenance as hunters and gatherers. However, in 1992, they were forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands by the government for wildlife conservation purposes, without being provided with alternative accommodations.
In recent years, various non-governmental organizations and religious bodies have stepped in to address the plight of the Batwa by acquiring land and resettling them.
