Location: Kigumba Sub County

Population: Approximately 640

Pump Installed: May 15, 2009

Donors: The Deerfield Foundation

This is the second village in Kigumba Sub County in which BTA constructed a well. It was built close to the site of our first at Kemenzu and just across the Sub County boundary from Kikaito village where another well is planned. The positioning of these wells is entirely in keeping with our policy of clustering water sources in order to create overlapping concentric circles of coverage, ensuring that one area is blanketed with coverage. Remote in location, about 25km from Masindi town, it is well served by schools, although the nearest health center is a 12km round trip from the village.

Like most villages in Uganda it is based in a rural farming economy. But what makes Nyakabale distinct is that its main crop is tobacco. The farmers grow the product locally and then sell it to agents from the large tobacco companies based in Kampala who purchase these goods on a regular basis. This would seem to be a highly profitable revenue stream and a road to prosperity for the village, however lack of education about the most basic of amenities such as water hinder this village in recognizing its true potential.

The villagers of Nyakabale have only one open pond at the bottom of the valley to drink from, one which in itself is a 4km round trip from the village center. A 4km trip up and down slippery, muddy slopes to collect putrid water is probably a main reason why Nyakabale is not today’s Ugandan version of colonial Raleigh-Durham.

Unfortunately boiling the water is not an option for these villagers because boiling requires charcoal and charcoal costs money. This is a luxury they can’t afford, so they drink it dirty. When asked about this state of affairs and why they thought it important to build a protected water source one villager said that it would;

‘Avoid people from getting diseases’ and ‘Avail us with a consistent water supply’

The consistent water supply is another problem facing Nyakabale because the pond dries up in the dry season. By building a reliable water source, BTA looks to help Nykabale fulfill its vast potential.

BTA began building a well by holding initial meetings in mid-Feb and collection of materials (brick, sand, and mortar) commenced in March. Digging began soon after, however at a depth of 11ft, loose soil began to pose a problem. After calling in for more support material, the well was finished by the end of March.

Well Data

Depth:  16 ft

Water Column:  10 ft

Recharge Rate:  5.5 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: 38

BTA Well: 3

Percent Change: -92%

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 standards require E. coli and similar bacteria be completely absent from 95% of the water samples taken from a system.

Turbidity/NTU

Old Source: 58

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.

Click Below to View the Nyakabale Photo Gallery