There has been a remarkable shortage of water in Kanyosha and Kamenge neighborhoods of Bujumbura city since the past few days. People fear the outbreak of some diseases if nothing is done.
There has been no water in a public tap installed in Mirango locality since three days
In some localities of Bujumbura city, people hardly get clean water. Public and private taps have run dry. Even in some taps where there is water, it is not enough. There are therefore long queues of people waiting for their turn to fetch it.
“In Mirango II, there has been a shortage of water since July 15th. Even when we get it, it is not enough and can’t last longer,” says Frédéric Bujana, a resident of Mirango locality in Kamenge zone of Ntahangwa commune, in the north of Bujumbura.
He says managers of Regideso, a company in charge of distributing water and electricity in Burundi are already aware of this water shortage.
“They promised there would be water supply alternation among localities,” he says adding that since then, nothing has been done to handle this issue.
Mr. Bujana asks Regideso to do all it takes to give them enough water. “These days, we hear from the radio that there are cases of cholera in some neighborhoods of Bujumbura city. We fear that this disease may break out as well in our neighborhood if nothing is done,” he says.
Another resident of Mirango says there has been lack of water at a nearby public tap since the past three days. However, he adds that people are familiar with water shortage especially in the dry season.
“We have a problem of water shortage. Life is difficult without water,” says anonymously a resident of Busoro locality in Kanyosha zone of Muha commune in the south of the Burundian capital.
A week can pass without water or we can get it once a week, he adds.
On the other side of Busoro locality, “water often comes in the night and it is not enough compared to the demand,” says another resident.
“As it is the dry season, there must be shortage of water,” says Malyse Ella Nzobonimpa, Regideso Communication officer adding that there is water rationing among neighborhoods in the Burundian capital.
For her, the enlargement of Bujumbura due to the birth of new residential areas and the theft of Regideso materials are the reasons behind this water shortage.
Ms. Nzobonimpa says water rationing is done in a way that no locality can pass two days without water. She asks people to share water as they get it and not to waste it.
It is not the first time that the shortage of water is reported in Bujumbura city especially in the dry season. Over the past few days, cases of cholera were recorded in some neighborhoods of the city due to the lack of clean water.
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