Location: Kigumba Sub County, Masindi District

Population: Approximately 300

Pump Installed: July 10, 2009

Donor: Funding provided by Jonathan & Riley Dunkle, San Diego, California, USA

Leave Masindi town, travel along a rough dirt road for an hour, turn right onto a bumpy path, drive another 15 minutes and you’ve reached Kifuruta I.  Situated in a beautiful, hilly area of Kigumba Sub County in Masindi district, Kifuruta I is home to around 300 people.  Residents are almost entirely subsistence farmers, growing mostly maize and cassava.   Children attend Kifuruta primary school, which has no water source located on it’s premises.  The closest source of clean water is over 4 Kms away at a health center, so children are sent to fetch water at nearby open pools.  The quality of this water is terrifying.  One open source tested by Busoga Trust had an Ecoli level of 185 (per 100mls).  The US standard level for Ecoli in water is zero.   Consumption of this water can cause horrible health problems such as chronic diarrhea which can be fatal to young children.

In response to the poor situation in Kifuruta I, Busoga Trust Masindi installed an improved water source. Consistent with our standard approach, the well was constructed in coordination with local residents and is now providing clean water to the entire community.  This new source has an Ecoli level of zero, a significant improvement from the old open source.  When we asked the LC1 (local politician) about the difference between water taken from the old source and that from the new well installed by Busoga Trust he said the following:

“The old water used to bring us diarrhea, especially the children.  We had many problems.  Now with the new water we no longer are experiencing diarrhea and rashes (from bathing in the water) have disappeared”

Through the provision of clean water, the threat of disease has decreased and the quality of life has increased for the residents of Kifuruta I.

Well Data

Depth: 21 ft

Water Column: 9 ft

Recharge Rate: 12 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: 185

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 Ecoli and similar bacteria be completely absent from 95% of the water samples taken from a system.

Turbidity/NTU

Old Source: 105

BTA Well: 0

Percent Change: -100%

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.

View Pictures of Kifuruta I