What is the Current State of the Uganda Water Problem?
Imagine constantly feeling unclean because you don’t have basic access to washing facilities like sinks and showers. Imagine having to scrounge the ground for water after rain because the nearest source of clean water is over half an hour away only for it to still be contaminated. Imagine having to spend as much on water as you currently do for your home, and even then you still may not be able to afford it. It may seem far-fetched, but these are all realities for millions of people living in Uganda, along with other neighboring parts of Africa.
Population Growth
On average, women in Uganda will have seven children each, and those rates can be dangerous when coupled with extreme water scarcity. This is much higher than the average across the world and other countries in Africa. The population of the entire country as a whole is expected to at least double by 2060, which would bring the total to around 90 million people living in a relatively small country. Considering the struggles Uganda already faces with providing clean water to its current number of citizens, they will have to be proactive to deal with exponential population growth in future years. The high birth rates can be attributed to a lack of family planning services and education for the people, especially in rural areas.
Government
The uneven distribution of water in rural areas keeps the residents of these areas in poverty. To make matters worse, the Ugandan government currently does not have a way to fund proper infrastructure and education for these areas. However, the government seeks to work in collaboration with outside organizations to help improve sanitation and clean up the water supply, all with the ambitious goal of completing this by 2030.
Some of these Uganda water crisis solutions include investing in quality handwashing and water infrastructure for all parts of the country and committing to providing hygiene education, which we will discuss more below.
Landlocked
Uganda is located in the southeastern part of Africa and is considered to be landlocked because it does not have access to a coastline or an ocean. Not only this but several of its bordering countries are also landlocked. This makes it harder for the country to obtain valuable resources needed for proper infrastructure. Uganda does share a border with Africa’s largest lake, but the demand for water is larger than what any of the nearby freshwater sources can provide.
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Lack of Hygiene Education and Infrastructure
Preventable deaths caused by poor hygiene and infrastructure are the leading cause of illness and death in children under five. The lack of hygienic behavior is a huge problem within the country, but the blame cannot be attributed to the people. The majority of Ugandans do not have access to basic hand-washing devices or hygienic toilets. Many are still simply going outside into wooded areas, unknowingly further contaminating the water nearby.
Luckily, the country has focused on improving hygiene infrastructure and made great strides in the past few decades where some of these numbers have trended positively. Yet, more work needs to be done to simply get the proper infrastructure in place, especially in rural communities. Without a doubt, focusing on this area will see the biggest change for this country.
Water Crisis Facts About Uganda
To highlight Uganda’s water problems, here are some unfortunate facts about their water scarcity:
- At least 7% of the population relies on unprotected and unclean water sources from the ground for their main water supply. That’s around 3 million people gathering water from local ponds and streams.
- Over half the population doesn’t have basic access to drinking water, meaning that people only have access to surface water, untreated water, or have limited access to clean water and must travel for clean water.
- Over half the toilets in the country are not considered hygienic since they don’t properly separate human waste. Millions of people still deface in the open, which contaminates nearby water from rain.
- Only one in five people have access to functioning hand washing facilities. One in three Ugandans has access to hand-washing devices, but not a reliable source of clean water and/or soap.
Solutions to the Uganda Water Crisis
The people of Uganda are working together to get out of this crisis and live healthier lives, and you can help. The number of lives already impacted since the turn of this century has trended positively in the right direction. As mentioned earlier, the Uganda government seeks to help Ugandan people live healthier and cleaner lives by improving water and sanitation infrastructure, but they will need some help. Starting with hand washing solutions like tippy tap devices and solar-powered water pumps are an excellent place to start.
We at Healing Waters International feel extremely confident in our ability to help the people of Uganda. We go beyond the solutions by staying around to provide hygiene training and education and empowering people to take ownership of their own local water businesses. Our solar-powered pump solutions help even the most remote communities gain access to clean water. This is a priority to us – we believe water is a basic human right, meant for all. We make it our mission to ensure every person in the world has access to clean, safe water.
If you’re asking what you can do to help bring water scarcity solutions to our projects in Uganda or other parts of the world, contact us today to get involved. Alternatively, join our Saturate community, which helps fund the various water filtration systems we provide for developing communities. Working together, or donate today! We can all find ways to keep these communities healthier and pull themselves out of poverty and disease. Every person deserves this chance, and it all begins with a foundation of clean water and hygiene training for all, so future generations of these communities continue to thrive.