Access to drinking water is considered a right, one of the factors of human well-being. Even today, millions of people around the world lead a life made difficult by the lack of access to drinking water. As for Burundi, some are struggling to access it despite the fact that this country is one of the countries rich in fresh water.
The fight to allow everyone to have access to drinking water is still far from won
Since 1993, World Water Day has been celebrated on March 22 each year. This date has become an opportunity to rethink the lives of millions of people living in desert regions around the world. This time, the United Nations emphasizes the importance of fresh water and reminds that it is a good time to think about the implementation of measures focused on the fight against the crisis. water world. The United Nations Secretary-General’s timely message to the world is clear. “Water is the source of life for our world. Nothing supplants it anymore. Health, nutrition, education, infrastructure… it is essential to all aspects of human survival and well-being, as well as to the economic development and prosperity of every nation”, summarizes Antonio Guterres at the very beginning of his published message. on the UN website.
In 2019, reports from Unicef and WHO lifted the veil on a worrying situation. According to these humanitarian organizations, more than 2 billion people are not connected to the drinking water supply network and 4.2 billion were deprived of safely managed sanitation services while 3 billion do not even have installations. basics for washing hands.
Burundi too concerned
In Burundi, part of the population does not have access to drinking water. This despite the abundance of this resource in this small country in East Africa. In some parts of the country, families fall back on the rivers to get their water supply. According to a study conducted by the English NGO Earth Wise, 73.8% of Burundians living in rural areas did not have access to drinking water, while the urban population is better off with 91.1% who have access to drinking water according to the same source.
However, the incapacity of REGIDESO, the public company guaranteeing the distribution of drinking water, is currently evident. In the economic capital Bujumbura, water cuts are frequent. Provincial capitals face the same problem. In his interview with Burundi Eco, Dr. Ir Major Jean Albert Manigomba, DG of REGIDESO acknowledged the existence of challenges in the distribution of drinking water. According to him, the projections were limited to 2005 only. This while several new neighborhoods have emerged after this period.
Enormous efforts to meet the challenge
Enormous efforts are being made to enable people to access drinking water. Amazi Water is one of the organizations committed to supporting national development through the distribution of drinking water. Since 2015, this NGO has been installing manual submersible pumps powered by solar energy across the country, especially in areas that lack drinking water. “As of mid-2022, we have installed more than 600 systems across Burundi, providing clean water to around 1.6 million people,” the organization says on its website.
Companies like Brarudi also contribute to community development by setting up water distribution networks in areas suffering from drinking water shortages. This giant beverage producer in Burundi has announced plans to build two wastewater treatment plants in the cities of Gitega and Bujumbura.
On the REGIDESO side, Major Manigomba said that his institution is developing several projects. “When they are closed, REGIDESO will be able to satisfy the customers of the city of Bujumbura with drinking water and the projections will go until 2060”, he promised.
If Burundi is blessed with water, REGIDESO, which is responsible for distributing drinking water, does not have enough means to satisfy drinking water consumers. In addition, the distribution network of this company is old. This casts doubt on the quality of the water offered to the population.