Bbanda is a town of nearly 1300 people in the Mityana District of south-central Uganda. Bbanda faces many challenges
when it comes to water. The village has several springs in the area; however, all of these are contaminated, and the
drilled wells in town are prone to breaking down. In Bbanda, it is the children who collect the water that their family
will use. Not only does this place an incredible physical burden on the children, but it takes time that would otherwise be spent
in school. In addition, the time and effort spent collecting water limits how much people will use, and this has
negative health impacts. Solving Bbanda's water crisis will be a complex problem.
In 2008, Friends of the Sick and Poor approached EWB-USA Northeastern about the water crisis in Bbanda. In April 2009,
EWB-USA Northeastern traveled to Bbanda to meet with the community and learn crucial social and technical factors shaping
the community’s water crisis. Upon return to the States, the team analyzed the challenges of bringing water to the
town. Bbanda needs an increased supply of water, but it also needs water closer to its homes. In conjunction with the
Bbanda Water Board, EWB-USA Northeastern drilled two wells and built a rainwater catchment system in August 2010. These two
partners continued their work in April 2011, constructing and repairing three additional rainwater catchment systems
on the town's elementary schools. In November 2011, EWB-USA Northeastern returned to Bbanda to build the necessary connections
for the smooth construction of a larger water system.
|
