Javier Silas Omagor
Groundwater is quenching thirst and transforming the educational landscape for thousands of children, empowering communities, and boosting local economies in the districts of Mbale and Kapchorwa in eastern Uganda.
The two districts are part of the Mt. Elgon aquifer, a vital transboundary resource shared between Uganda and Kenya. According to the Nile Basin Initiative, this aquifer covers about 4,900 square kilometers and spans three lake basins and various administrative areas.
Location of Mount Elgon aquifer system in the drainage basins across the border between Uganda and Kenya; Inset is the map of Uganda and Kenya. This visualization was developed by the NBI.
In a region facing water scarcity, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) points out the importance of this aquifer in providing water. This aquifer has been used to support surface water supplies, especially where surface water is polluted or hard to find. Despite this, many people still do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.
For example, many schools in two districts would struggle to cover bills from national water supplies without this water source. They may even have to close their doors, according to Martin Chemonges, a teacher at Gamatui Girls Secondary School in Kapchorwa district, who lauds the “significant role that groundwater plays in enhancing educational access and health in these communities.”
A Lifeline for Schools
Many children in the Elgon Aquifer region face challenges that keep them from school. Some miss classes because they must search for water; others arrive late after fetching it for their homes. According to the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), this struggle for water impacts their education and daily lives.
However, the introduction of groundwater wells and boreholes has significantly alleviated this challenge in the region.
For example, the recently constructed borehole at Demiro Nursery and Primary School in Mbale has been a game-changer. Not only does it supply the school with a reliable water source for drinking and sanitation, but it has also ensured that students no longer have to skip school for water collection.
“Before we had the borehole, girls especially would often be absent, helping their parents fetch water from distant sources,” Karen Nabushawo, a teacher at this school, narrates, further stressing that “now, they can stay in class and focus on their studies.”
Robert Naulele, a teacher in primary seven at Masaba Primary School, says it was a “dreadful moment” when they operated without a borehole.
“We lost the concentration of our best learners as the water scarcity stress would psychologically derail them,” Naulele said.
Naulele recalls four school girls, including two from his class, reporting cases of attempted sexual gender-based violence while on their way to fetch water from the community spring wall.
“So these greedy and merciless men would take advantage and waylay our female learners to lure them into sexual relationships,” narrates Naulele.
Another teacher, Scovia Akello of Kolonyi Primary School, believes that the water quality and reliability of groundwater have been essentially important.
“Ever since our school embraced the groundwater initiative a few years ago, it has turned out to be the magic bullet for both our learners and us, the teachers who reside within the teachers’ quarters,” explains Akello.
Harriet Nekesa, the principal community development officer of the Mbale district local government, is optimistic that groundwater is bringing relief to many families.
“Our communities are flourishing, and this means well for the schools and the learners because parents can concentrate and gainfully work when their children are settled at school, consuming safe and clean water,” she says.
Francis Koko, the education officer at Mbale City Council, reveals that they are encouraging all schools within the area to establish groundwater sources, especially boreholes and other sources they might already have.
“Our office is finalizing the framing of this policy so that all our schools can run throughout the year without experiencing acute water scarcity issues,” notes Koko.
Water as a Tool for Gender Equality
Groundwater access is also making strides toward gender equality. Traditionally, fetching water has been relegated to women and girls in this region, often taking hours out of their day. However, with more groundwater wells installed in rural schools and communities, girls have more time to focus on their education than spend hours at water points.
This simple change has profoundly impacted young girls’ academic performance and retention rates in schools across Eastern Uganda.
In some villages in these districts, where boreholes and springs were installed in several schools, the rate of girls progressing to secondary school has increased, according to local leaders, including Cassim Namugali, the mayor of Mbale. He and several other local leaders believe such changes are directly linked to reduced water collection time.
“Education is key to empowering women, and access to water is a step in the right direction,” says Namugali.
Improving Sanitation and Health
The benefits of groundwater extend beyond just providing drinking water. Improved sanitation facilities in schools have helped reduce waterborne diseases, once a leading cause of school absenteeism.
Schools that have tapped into groundwater sources in Mbale and Kapchorwa can maintain better hygiene standards with proper handwashing stations and functioning latrines.
For instance, at Mbale Secondary School, installing a groundwater pump has improved the school’s water supply and helped reduce cases of typhoid.
“Before, there were frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, and many children would fall ill,” Moses Buyela, the headmaster, says further, indicating that “now, with clean water and better sanitation, the health of the children has greatly improved, and attendance has risen.”
Thanks to the borehole they recently installed, Kwoti Primary School in Kapchorwa is also able to provide its learners and teachers with safe and clean water.
“Water is so central to learning, and it has been close to impossible to conduct studies without safe and clean water, but all is eased now,” says Sharon Chelimo, a teacher at this school.
Groundwater’s impact is not limited to schools. In many rural areas, the increased availability of groundwater sources, such as boreholes and springs, benefits the neighbouring communities.
In the Kapchorwa district, for example, some farmers can irrigate their crops by using such water sources, while local businesses can operate more efficiently.
This has a ripple effect on education, as families can earn more, invest in school fees, and improve their communities’ overall economic stability.
“With better crops and income, parents can afford to send their children to school,” said Vincent Gizamba, a farmer in Mbale district, further stressing that “water has made our lives better in more ways than one.”
Gizamba says many families are now able to grow food year-round, reducing hunger and malnutrition—common barriers to school attendance.
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.
