Nyagatare: Students commend the construction of School based Rainwater Harvesting facilities

By NAYITURIKI Anicet

Students in Nyagatare District have commended the construction of the school-based rainwater harvesting infrastructures, which they believe will solve the water problem they often encountered while at school.

The rainwater harvesting infrastructures were established, thanks to the collaboration between the district and Water Aid Rwanda.

Such rainwater harvesting facilities have been established at the new schools that were constructed as part of the Government’s mass classrooms construction which was initiated to reduce overcrowding.

These rainwater harvesting reservoirs were built after realizing that the area in which the schools were located was not easy to access water from the main pipeline.

Students who are benefiting from the project are those whose schools are constructed in Karangazi and Rwimiyaga sectors, where rainwater storage tanks with a capacity of up to 90,000 liters have been built.

Groupe Scolaire Shimwa Paul in Karangazi Sector, is one of the schools where such rainwater storage tanks were constructed.

Its director Kamanzi Joseph says the construction of the facility has solved many problems.

Groupe Scolaire Shimwa Paul, along with five other new schools in Karangazi and Rwimiyaga Sectors, have already built rain water harvesting facilities with solar-powered water filters.

In total, in Nyagatare District, there are about one hundred and fifty-six (156) public schools including 56 new ones built as part of reducing overcrowding.

So far, however, 85 of these schools have no access to water.

Nyagatare District Vice Mayor for Social Affairs, Ms. Murekatete Juliet says they are putting a lot of effort into delivering infrastructures especially water to these schools that have not yet been reached.

On the other hand, despite the fact that most of the schools have no access to water, they still also have the problem of lack of electricity and request that the government solve this problem as well.

According to the Nyagatare District Administration, the problem will be solved as soon as possible, especially since it was found that water was the most important thing, as it was the one that was most needed to help implement the school feeding program.