Location: Kigumba Sub County, Masindi District

Population: Approximately 1900

Pump Installed: April 7, 2010

Donor: Thompson Reynolds and Richard Adams

The village of Kibyama is found in the central region of Masindi district, in Kigumba sub-county.  382 households reside within Kibyama with the population approaching 1900 people.  The area benefits from a high water table which makes water readily available and is helpful to local farmers.  Several crops such as maize, beans, sweet potatoes and cassava are commonly grown.  Yet despite the abundance of water there exist very few protected water sources which local residents can access.  The closest protected well to Kibyama is up to 3 miles away.  No one wants to walk that far to fetch water (unless you’re training for a triathlon) so many residents rely upon naturally forming open pools. While they are numerous, the pools are usually heavily contaminated with bacteria and other disease causing agents.   Consuming this water on a regular basis can cause chronic diarrhea, as well as typhoid and intestinal worms.   Such diseases can be life threatening to children and without access to clean water the situation will not improve.

We received an application from the chairperson of Kibyama, Edward Nyongesa, in early December, 2009 requesting a well to be built in his village.  Busoga Trust has responded to his appeal and has begun to construct a well in partnership with community members.  Within a number of weeks, clean water should be flowing in Kibyama.

Well Data

Depth:  15 ft

Water Column:  9 ft

Recharge Rate: 10 ft/hr

The water column is the height of the water within the well or the distance between the water table and the bottom of the well. The recharge rate is a measurement of how quickly the well refills after water is removed.

Water Quality Data Before and After Busoga Trust Intervention

Fecal Coliforms (E. coli) per 100 ML

Old Source: 90

BTA Well: 0

Percent Change: -100%

E. coli is a fecal bacteria which causes diarrhea, violent stomach cramps, and fever. It can be transmitted through contaminated food or water. US EPA water standardsrequire E. coli and similar bacteria be completely absent from 95% of the water samples taken from a system.

Turbidity/NTU

Old Source: 0

BTA Well: 0

Percent Change: 0%

Turbidity is a measure of water clarity; it is an indicator of how much solid mass (silt, sand, clay, algae) and potentially disease-causing organisms a water source contains. Turbidity is measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units.  In the United States, the allowable standard is 1 NTU; Uganda strives for a turbidity level of less than 15 NTU.

Girls Collecting Water from an Open Source in Kibyama

Click Below to View Pictures of Kibyama