Batwa living in Mikingo village Southern division in Kisoro municipality have resorted to use of sewage water from septic tanks behind the district headquarters offices.
The Batwa opted to break the septic tanks after going for several weeks without water in their donated tanks since it got depleted due to a dry spell in Kisoro district in June this year.
This is the second time in five years that Mikingo Batwa community is surviving on sewage water since 2016 when they also vandalized the same septic tanks.
Ndyana Richard, the Kisoro Municipality Mayor says it was an oversight to ignore the Batwa due to their inability to pay for water bills.
He pledged to meet National Water and Sewerage Corporation authorities in Kisoro to see that the Batwa are reconnected to safe water that as the municipal leadership they are also to engage NGOs to find the way that can organize the Batwa well to keep contributing money to cater for the bills.
“Every village in Kisoro Municipality is supposed to be connected to more than one public water stand but it was an oversight that we ignored Mikingo because the Batwa do not have even ugx 10 to pay for it,”Ndyana said.
Peter Ariho the Manager of National Water and Sewerage Corporation Kisoro Branch says that Mikingo Batwa were at one time supplied with water but missed on paying water bills and they also vandalized the water meter which they never replaced thus putting the corporation in a loss.
Ariho says that plans to have the Batwa connected to safe water are ongoing but they should be contributing money to pay for it as it’s not for free.
“I’m advising municipal authorities to intervene and stop these Batwa from consuming sewage water as soon as possible because it’s dangerous to their health,” said Ariho.
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