OREANDA-NEWS. May 15, 2017. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a grant agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uganda in Kampala to provide grant aid of up to 1.706 billion yen for the Project for Rural Water Supply in Lake Kyoga Basin, Eastern Uganda.

The project will provide water supply systems with conduits and a storage tank* in nine densely populated communities in five districts located in the Lake Kyoga Basin of Eastern Uganda, thereby increasing the water supply and improving sanitation and access to safe water.

The low access rate to safe water in Uganda creates such problems as a high incidence of waterborne diseases originating in unsanitary water, and the necessity of fetching water that results in a low school enrollment ratio among children and hinders the social advancement of females. The rural water supply rate in Uganda is merely 65 percent (2015), and the average water supply rate is even lower, approximately 57 percent, in the five target districts in the Lake Kyoga Basin.

* A simple water supply setup that pumps groundwater to an elevated water tank for distribution to community taps and the like through a gravity feed

Basic project information
Country Republic of Uganda
Project title The Project for Rural Water Supply in Lake Kyoga Basin, Eastern Uganda
Planned implementation period 26 months, including detailed design work and the bidding period
Executing agency Directorate of Water Development, Ministry of Water and Environment
Target region, facilities Nine water supply systems in five districts located in the Lake Kyoga Basin of Eastern Uganda
Specific project details (provisional) (1) Facility improvements
Construction of nine water supply systems (simple water supply setups for community water taps constructed with conduits): water intake equipment, water reservoirs, water distribution equipment, community taps (total: 88), public institution water distribution pipes (total conduit length: 115 kilometers)
(2) Consulting services
Detailed design work, bidding assistance, construction and procurement supervision. Training and technical support: capacity-building for the operation and maintenance of the water supply systems.