By Kayitare Jean B.
Water pollution in Rwanda presents significant challenges, impacting both human health and the environment. Key problems include industrial and agricultural runoff, poor sanitation practices, and the impact of urbanization and mining activities. These pollutants contaminate water sources, leading to decreased water quality and quantity, and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
“The Rwandan Government is committed to ensuring universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation” Says Juliet Kabera, Director General, Rwanda Environment Management Authority.
Agricultural and mining activities, as well as poor land and wastewater management pollute the country’s water bodies. The main underlying cause of water pollution is sedimentation and siltation due to soil erosion and microbiological contamination linked to poor sanitation systems and practices.
MUDAKIKWA Ruhanamirindi Eric, Environment Analytics and Lake Kivu Monitoring Division Manager, REMA says; “Water pollution causes various diseases, such as typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, and cancer, it also harms plants and aquatic animals by reducing the oxygen content in water”.
According to the UN agency GRID-Geneva’s report, only 30% of Rwandan water bodies have good ambient water quality. The use of contaminated water leads to diarrheal disease, intestinal parasites, and environmental enteropathy, and has complex and reciprocal links with malnutrition. In Rwanda, the total number of deaths in 2016 from diarrhea due to lack of water was 1,232, while the total number of deaths from lack of water, sanitation and hygiene was 2,306.
“The generation of waste and its hazardous disposal also leads to additional negative impacts on human health in Rwanda, and the waste sector emits 12% of the country’s total emissions, according to the latest Rwanda GHG inventory data (which covers emissions up to the year 2015)”. GRID-Geneva report adds.
Rwanda faces significant environmental challenges, including deforestation, land degradation, water pollution, and the impacts of climate change. These issues are exacerbated by factors like rapid population growth, land scarcity, and dependence on natural resources.
