A man fetches water from a well in Nyabubale Village, Kiko Town Council in Kabarole District. Authorities in Tooro Sub-region are still grappling with inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.PHOTO/ALEX ASHABA
With just six years to 2030, the year the government pledged to achieve universal access to safe and clean water, authorities in Tooro Sub-region are still grappling with inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
The 2030 target is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2022 report, Tooro ranks third out of 14 sub-regions grappling with open defecation, inadequate handwashing practices, and reliance on contaminated water sources.
The report reveals that 94.3 percent of the people in the sub-region drink water contaminated with E. coli, a group of bacteria that can cause infections in the gut, urinary tract, and other parts of the body.
The same report shows that only 39.6 percent of households in Tooro use appropriate water treatment methods such as boiling or adding chlorine. A total of 65.8 percent of households in the sub-region have a designated place for washing hands, with 8 percent using fixed handwashing facilities and 57.8 percent relying on mobile solutions.
The Kabarole District Health Inspector, Ms Cecelia Birungi, revealed that despite achieving 94.3 percent latrine coverage, handwashing after latrine use remains critically low at only 23 percent.
"The reason handwashing rates have remained low is the lack of behaviour change. Many people do not wash their hands after visiting the toilet, even when water is available. We need people to adopt the same discipline they had during Covid-19 when handwashing reached over 50 percent,” Ms Birungi stated.
Ms Birungi said 6.4 percent of the population in Kabarole District practices open defecation. She pointed out that the district council passed a sanitation ordinance last year in October, but its implementation has stalled because the necessary gazetting by relevant offices has not occurred.
"The ordinance includes critical measures such as introducing eco-friendly modern toilets in the sub-counties of Harungogo and Karangura. However, without gazetting the ordinance, enforcement is impossible,” Ms Birungi warned.
The district chairperson, Mr Richard Rwabuhinga, noted that the council passed the WASH master plan in 2018 to ensure access to safe water and other WASH services by 2030. He said this has resulted in the establishment of a district water board and a district task force, which are actively working to promote and implement WASH services.
However, the District Water Officer, Mr Bruno Basudde, said they are facing challenges in the maintenance of water sources as some shallow wells are often vandalised by the community.
“We face challenges with water quality because open defecation still occurs, and waste ends up contaminating our water sources. Additionally, some communities have encroached on water sources, further degrading the quality of water available,” Mr Basudde said.
The Uganda Water Supply Atlas reveals that most districts in Tooro Sub-region have struggled for decades to achieve access to safe water.
Kabarole District: Access to safe water stands at 77 percent. However, some communities remain underserved, including Kijura Town Council at 7 percent, Karangura at 35 percent, and Harugogo at 46 percent.
Kasese District: Records an access rate of 56 percent, with underserved areas such as Mukunyu (19 percent), Maliba (37 percent), and Kyarumba (32 percent).
Ntoroko District: Reports an access rate of 84 percent. The least underserved areas include Kanara Town Council (59 percent) and Kanara Sub-county (54 percent).
Bundibugyo District: Has an access rate of 71 percent.
Bunyangabu District: Reports 74 percent access, but Rwimi Town Council lags behind with 31 percent.
Kamwenge District: Access stands at 77 percent, with Bwizi Sub-county underserved at 66 percent.
Kitagwenda District: Leads the sub-region with an access rate of 85 percent.
Kyegegwa District: Has the lowest access rate at 31 percent, with underserved areas including Ruyonza (19 percent), Rwentuha (21 percent), and Kakabara (27 percent).
Efforts to address the WASH crisis
In Bunyangabu District, the chairperson, Mr James Ategeka, attributed the slow progress toward achieving universal WASH services to limited funding from the central government, leaving the district heavily reliant on development partners.
To tackle the WASH challenges, the districts of Kasese, Kabarole, and Bunyangabu, with support from WaterAid Uganda and partners such as IRC, launched the “WASH is Everyone’s Business” campaign on December 5.
The WaterAid Country Director, Dr Joyce Mpalanyi Magala, said the goal is to achieve adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030.
"In many communities, women and adolescent girls, due to their social roles as water collectors, face risks of gender-based violence because of the time spent fetching water,” Dr Magala explained.
Dr Magala called on the government to prioritize financing for gender-responsive WASH services nationwide and strengthen monitoring and accountability mechanisms, particularly at the local government level, to ensure effective service delivery.
