Rainwater Catchment Systems to Increase Water Access in the Rural Area of Northern Province, Rwanda

摘要

In 2015, over 43 percent of the Rwandan population lacked access to basic drinking water sources, and in the rural area more than half of the population still relies on limited, unimproved, and surface water sources. This study analyses a project conducted over the last five years in the rural area of Cyanika Sector in the Northern Province of Rwanda, thanks to the collaboration between the Cyanika Community Vision Board, Engineers Without Borders-USA, and Village Makeover. Five community rainwater catchment systems have been implemented in five villages, providing access to drinking water for 4,667 community members. This provides families with time to improve their quality of life by increasing agricultural and other income-generating activities, since they no longer need to spend several hours day collecting surface water from distant sources. In order to increase the sustainability of the project, a five-year commitment plan for monitoring and evaluation was put in place for each village. In addition, the projects are likely to be sustained in the future because people have significant benefits, and are managing the systems through the collection of minimal water usage fees and the establishment of a growing fund for maintenance operations. This partnership between local and international organizations is a successful example of how to make a positive impact on people's lives while giving engineering undergraduate students the opportunity to get experience as global engineers.