Perez Rumanzi
In the Ntungamo district of Uganda, something exciting is happening. Residents are coming together to drill for groundwater in a race to find safe and affordable water for their families and crops.
The need for safe water has united their efforts, with help from the government, non-government organizations (NGOs) and religious institutions joining the cause.
By November 2024, their hard work had led to the creation of over 2,000 boreholes across the district, providing a reliable source of drinking water and supporting local farming. According to the 2024 census, Ntungamo District has a population of 553,197.
According to data analysis conducted by the Ntungamo district water department, which was compiled from 1,031 villages in the district, communities that rely on groundwater sources have more sustainable, safe, and affordable water.
“There are areas where you cannot make any other water facility. You can’t build a gravity flow; protected springs can’t be there because there are no sources, and piped water can’t be extended since, at times, they are hilly or far from the supply lines, and the only option is groundwater,” notes Prosper Butubuura, the Ntungamo district water engineer.
He says several private individuals and organizations utilize groundwater resources by drilling boreholes and creating underground tanks for water collection.
While much of the groundwater in the district sourced by private parties is intended for production, non-governmental organizations primarily focus on providing communities with access to clean and safe drinking water. “The government is also involved in this effort, having dug boreholes, wells, and dip tanks to enhance community access to safe drinking water,” notes Butubuura.
Residents in places where the water table is not so low, especially those living near river banks or in lowlands, excavate deep tanks to access groundwater. Some use machines; however, some use hands to excavate the facilities. Non-government organizations (NGOs), including churches, excavated boreholes in communities where piped water may not reach, sometimes using the boreholes to supply water through pipes further.
The National Water and Sewerage Cooperation, the most prominent water supply agency in the Ntungamo district, also supplies groundwater to part of the Ntungamo municipality. The Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Department of the East Africa Community constructed this facility in 2013.
Butubuura cautions individuals and NGOs against creating water systems without proper regulations or licenses. He says unregulated setups can lead to confusion in the supply system, with some failing to work correctly. This, he notes, often leaves the government to step in and make repairs, usually without any planning. “Most people who dig these boreholes simply look at water availability, not the quality,” notes Butubuura.
Likewise, Dr. Maha Abdelraheem Ismail, the Groundwater Project Lead at Nile Basin Initiative, raises concerns about the implications of “drilling many wells without studies that could delineate the aquifer storage and the aquifer yield.” If more wells are drilled in the same location, this practice could affect the borehole yield. There is a concern that the water level may drop, leading to increased pumping costs as deeper wells may need to be deepened and additional pipes installed to abstract water.
Groundwater in Ntungamo district falls under the Kagera aquifer shared by Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. According to the Nile Basin Initiative, Kagera aquifer covers an area of about 6,300 Km2. The water abstraction in this aquifer is estimated at 3.25 million m3/year, and groundwater is used primarily for water supply of rural communities.
Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a cooperative arrangement initiated and led by the Nile riparian countries to promote joint development, protection and management of the common Nile Basin water resources.
Empowering Women with Accessible Water
According to Butubuura, one effective advantage of building groundwater sources such as boreholes near homesteads is alleviating the burden on women and girls, who often have to travel long distances to fetch water. “Having water sources closer to home saves time and enhances the safety and well-being of these women,” he notes.
This, he says, is now allowing women. Girls and children focus more on education, employment, and other productive activities than spending hours fetching water.
He calls for engaging women in the planning and managing groundwater resources, saying, “They are the ones most affected by water accessibility issues.” “Their insights and experiences can lead to more effective solutions that directly address their needs and challenges,” notes Butubuura.
Water for Production
According to the Nile Basin Initiative, farming activities are the most dominant livelihood activity in the Kagera aquifer area. The main livelihoods structure in the aquifer are dominated by subsistence farming, crop and livestock production. The main food crops include finger millet, maize, beans, bananas, cassava, potatoes, in addition to fruits and vegetables with Coffee being a major cash crop.
Robert Keizire, the Ntungamo district tourism officer, established a small farm at his home in Kiyanja Ngoma sub-county, Ntungamo district.
The area is greatly affected by dry spells. His farm mainly produces vegetables and other seasonal crops. For improved yields, Keizire needed a supplementary water source to irrigate his crops during dry spells. In 2021, all the water sources in the area dried up.
“When I invited my friend who works with water, he told me I could have a permanent water source that would provide reliable, safe and cheap production water. He brought me boys who dug 86 feet down, and I established my water source. I have since abandoned paying for water. I irrigate my crops at will, and my animals have better water for drinking,” notes Keizire.
Likewise, Saturday Ernest of Nyakagando Ruhaama sub-county, Ntungamo district, drilled for groundwater to feed his animals and irrigate his coffee.
“Before, I was using National Water (piped water) to irrigate my newly established coffee farm; you can’t imagine the bill that came. Apart from farming, I also engaged in mining, and when we are mining in the hills, we sometimes find water. When I asked, they told me I could drill for water near my home.
Using almost the same cost as the previous water bill, we excavated, and I don’t think I will ever pay for water again. I now pump to several tanks, treat the water that needs treating, and use it for household and production. Very safe water,” says a visibly happy Saturday.
In the western part of Ntungamo district, Simon Machati has dug a well for groundwater at his car wash facility in Rwashamaire town. Before using groundwater, he spent between Ushs 400,000 and Ushs 600,000 each month. But by investing Ushs 1.8 million in the groundwater excavation, he lowered his monthly costs to Ushs 180,000, which is the cost of running the pump. He pumps the water to various water tanks and later uses it to wash his clients’ vehicles.
Dinah Tumwebaze, the Ntungamo district natural resources officer, stresses that the use of groundwater could reduce pressure on surface water sources, which would lead to environmental conservation. “Imagine if we used water from underground without exposing the ground like digging valley dams. Here, we use the water, and the surface remains the same,” she notes.
This story was produced with support from NBI Secretariat (Nile-Sec), which, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented a program across the Nile Basin focused on shared groundwater aquifers. The project’s goal was to improve water resource management at both the national and basin levels.
The first phase concentrated on building knowledge and capacity for the sustainable use and management of significant transboundary aquifers within the Nile Basin. Three aquifer areas were selected for intervention: the Kagera aquifer shared by Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi; the Mt Elgon aquifer shared by Uganda and Kenya; and the Gedaref-Adigrat aquifer shared by Sudan and Ethiopia. These aquifers are located in various climates, including arid, semi-arid, and tropical regions.
Initially, the phase involved gathering existing data and creating a Shared Aquifer Diagnostic Report (SADA) for the three selected aquifers. The subsequent phase engaged in groundwater modeling to enhance understanding of the aquifers and analyze scenarios based on changes in climate and groundwater use.
