Every household in the city of Kigali has one or more septic tanks where wastewater from bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, and rainwater is collected. Occasionally, these tanks overflow or collapse, causing environmental damage and potentially impacting human health. The lack of a management system for this wastewater raises concerns about its future effects.
Residents in different parts of Kigali are worried about the management of household wastewater, where each home has septic tanks. These tanks sometimes overflow, causing water to find its way into people’s homes, damaging the environment and infrastructure.
Agnès Uwamurera, who lives in the Kimisagara Sector of Nyarugenge District, is one of those with such concerns.
She says, “At my home, we have three septic tanks: one for rainwater, another for kitchen wastewater, and the other for the toilet. I’m very worried because all these tanks are full, and we have nowhere to empty them.”
She goes on to explain that when it rains, the water finds its way into people’s homes. They are asking the authorities to help them find a solution for managing household wastewater.
Mathias Sindayigaha, who lives in Gatsata Sector, Gasabo District, also shares his concerns, saying, “The neighbor above my house has a septic tank, the one below also has one, and I have two… We basically live on top of a lake of wastewater, and eventually, houses will start floating on it. The authorities should find a way to manage this water before it overflows.”
Environmental and Health impacts
Environmental expert Dr. Abias Maniragaba recently told journalists working with Pax Press, a network of journalists advocating for peace, that when household wastewater is not collected and treated properly, it becomes an environmental and health hazard.
Currently, the city of Kigali does not have a large wastewater treatment plant to serve the over one million residents, a situation that has significant implications for the city’s living conditions and infrastructure, according to construction and urban planning expert, Eng. Sekamana Jean Damascène.
In a recent interview with Rwanda Television, the Director of Infrastructure Planning for Sanitation at WASAC, Dominique Murekezi, stated that, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Investment Bank, the Rwandan government has launched a project known as the ‘Kigali Central Sewage System’ to build the first large wastewater treatment plant. This plant will collect and treat wastewater for reuse and is currently being implemented by WASAC, the national water and sanitation corporation.
The project is expected to cost 96 million euros, equivalent to over 96 billion Rwandan francs. Initially, the plant will treat wastewater from parts of Nyarugenge, Muhima, and a portion of Gitega Sector.
Photo: Internet
Iriba.news@gmail.com
