Uganda’s Water Crisis
Since ancient times, Egypt has been the de facto authority of the great River Nile, the longest river in the world. Egypt's ancient civilisations depended on the Nile for centuries, utilising the river for agriculture, transport, and building material like clay. Today, the Nile remains a national treasure to Egypt, and the country has enjoyed a certain level of control through foreign influenced treaties, like the Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1929.1 In recent years, serious tensions have continuously erupted between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Downstream Egypt and Sudan have not been receptive to Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a dam on the blue Nile, arguing that the 74 billion cubic meters of water, that will be held by the dam reservoir once the dam is complete, will cut water supply in the neighbouring countries.
I have always been astonished by the paradox of how sub-saharan and northern Africa water crises interestingly differ, regardless of both regions mutually benefiting from the Nile basin waters. In an interview with Noelyne Leni Alitema, a young water activist from northern Uganda, currently studying in the United States, we unravel the complex nature of Uganda's water problem.
Uganda is a great lake region of Africa; there are many rivers and lakes such as: Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert, River Nile, and River Kagera amongst other water bodies like swamps, springs and seasonal rivers – so, why is Uganda, and Africa in general, suffering from a water crisis? Most recently, dead fish filled the shores of Lake Victoria, and the story was not given required attention.2 This is the same water source distributed by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), commonly referred to as National Water. In the few areas the government has managed to service, Noelyne says: "National Water officers regularly attend conferences abroad, (like the African Water Association Congress), fully expensed by the government or foreign aid, yet we do not see much improvement in these local areas; why?"3 The high level corruption involved in public sector projects and the blatant political immunity enjoyed by the individuals and groups involved in these corrupt practices, has over time demoralised Ugandans, descending them into adopting attitudes of hopelessness, depression and at worse indifference to public problems.
Noelyne tells us a story of her youth; every evening she and her fellow classmates took time off school to walk for miles to community boreholes, in order to beat the large queues of village locals. Often, they would arrive just in time to be accosted by older men bathing in the rivers, speaking derogatorily towards Noelyne, her underage classmates and the other young women who had come to fetch water for their households. Generally, women are the most impacted by Africa’s water related problems, as they traditionally inherit domesticated gender roles imposed on girls and women in many African societies, till this day. Although a scarce number of men carry out similar duties, the gender experience greatly differs.
Boys are generally encouraged and taught to-be leaders, while girls are reminded to, above all else, consider marriage as their first and best opportunity for societal acceptance. This patriarchal system hints as to why men bathe in these water sources, waiting for these young girls who come to fetch water, knowing for certain that they will arrive, sooner or later. This, the local women say, is very unfair. Why don’t these communities have easier and safer access to clean water?
Furthermore, the time lost by students at school while fetching water is not only unrecoverable, the entire experience affects their overall growth, education and future opportunities. Fatigue, unsettledness, limited focus, and vulnerability towards abuse, all of these factors complicate school life, mostly for girls, which leads many to drop out of school for early marriage and marginalised jobs that often lead to poverty in the long run.
Moreover, Noelyne, just like many Ugandans, are know to have or have had peptic ulcers, a disease common with many school children and adults.4 While in the United States, Noelyne visited a doctor who informed her that Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria found in unclean water and food, was the cause of her stomach ulcers. In contrast, many Ugandan doctors had told her that her ulcers were caused by hunger. Bothered by the realization of the level of misinformation related to water in her home country, and amazed by the convenient access to clean water in the United States, Noelyne was inspired to pursue water activism.
In search of ways to amplify her voice on Africa’s water issues, Noelyne founded the Alatara Foundation, a community based organisation in Northern Uganda, working to raise awareness and find solutions for Africa’s water related problems. She also participated and was the first runner up for Miss Uganda’s North America contest; a leadership focused beauty pageant that amplifies the voices of young Ugandan women in North America, and provides them with a platform to champion their causes. Noelyne’s organisation, Alatara Foundation, has an ambitious plan - to build infrastructures that provide access to clean water in rural communities and to empower women through climate change work.
I RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH NOELYNE TO DISCUSS A BIT OF HER PLANS TO BETTER AFRICA’S WATER CRISIS MOVING FORWARD.
S.S: Do you think Uganda has progressively realised improvement in water access over the years?
N.L: No! Uganda has not yet realised improvement in water access – unfortunately, people still have to fetch water, and Ugandans still get unclean water borne diseases like typhoid when they drink this water. I will say Uganda has achieved its clean water goals when everyone, the rich and the poor, can drink free, safely treated, clean water directly from a tap. When I just arrived in the United States, it took me a while to believe that I could safely drink water from the sink! Uganda's tap water can be whitish at times with chlorine.
S.S: Is Uganda's water problem a social problem?
N.L: The poor suffer the most. For example, if you live in the village and build a house, you have to call the National Water people to come to connect water to your house; so if you don't have a house or resources to construct one, you are not considered. I personally believe that access to clean water is a human right – even if you are living in poverty, you should still have access to clean water.
S.S: How are you and your organisation tackling the water problem?
N.L: I can’t provide personal solutions, that’s why me and my amazing team created the Alatara Foundation. This is not a personal problem, it is a community and national problem. It can’t be solved by one person. Alatara Foundation is working to create awareness to the water problem and providing solutions such as building boreholes closer to communities, and providing water filters that help clean water. In the future, we hope to implement direct clean water supply to homes.
Words by Samson Ssewanyana
Interview with Noelyne Leni Alitema
Edited by Kio Briggs
Photos by Kyatuka Derrick