Hieronder een artikel dat ik heb geschreven voor het tweede nummer van onze newsletter TRACK. In het Engels, dat wel, alleen niet erg moeilijk Engels, denk ik. Laatste nieuws: nieuw huis, daarover meer in volgende blog.
WATER IS LIFE: Anti Corruption Week 2008 in Uganda
by André Beerda
A boy at a water tap. It is running and the boy gets the water he needs. Nothing wrong with the picture, it seems. But there is more to this picture. The water tap is a shoddily constructed rusty old pipe, where the water is continuously streaming from. There is no stop on the tap. For tens of families in Kabonero Parish near the Rwenzori Mountains this is the only water source they have. Some of them, usually the girls and the women, have to walk for miles a couple of times every day to get to this rusty old faulty tap and carry the heavy jerry cans all the way back home. Is it clean and safe water at least? Hard to tell at first glance. The area around the water tap certainly is not. It is wet and muddy, because of the continuous stream of water. A perfect breeding ground for the mosquito's that can cause malaria, still the number one cause of death in Africa. The community is aware of this, but does not have an alternative, they have to get the water from this improvised water tap right here in this puddle of mud.
A few meters from the boy and the water tap almost the entire community is assembled for a spontaneous discussion with local leaders. The discussion is heated at times, the people seem to feel encouraged to come forward by the presence of their guests: activists from the Rwenzori Anti Corruption Coalition and the national Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) and some international water-experts. It is early December 2008: Anti Corruption Week 2008. The focus is on the water sector and especially here in the District of Kabarole in Western-Uganda. And this is what ACW 2008 is all about. Officially the theme is: Improving Good Governance and Accountability in the Water Sector in Uganda. The theme is well chosen, the water sector is one of the areas that is most affected by poor governance and corruption, especially in procurement. That is were it usually starts to go wrong. When the procurement process is not transparent and contractors get awarded because of their connections and bribery and not because of their expertise, things tend to go wrong further down the line.
The government had promised clean and safe water for all. For a lot of parishes and sub-counties this promise was kept in the past few years and water sources were realized: boreholes, shallow wells, gravity flow schemes. But others are less fortunate, especially those in more remote areas. These communities are still waiting on a water source or have to make do with one that is not functioning properly because it was badly built. According to official government statistics 78% of the people in this region are supposed to have access to clean and safe water. But if that is true, it would imply that still almost a quarter of the people here have no access at all.
The Water Sector is well chosen for another reason. Unofficially the theme of ACW 2008 is: Water is Life. And here in these remote areas of the Kabarole District that becomes as clear as the mountain water from the Rwenzoris. Here at the faulty water tap in the puddle of mud, the breeding ground for malaria-mosquito's, good health and therefore life is immediately threatened. Apart from malaria there are other health risks that are linked to the absence of clean and safe water: typhoid and cholera for instance. Some people from nearby Rwimi for instance drink and use water from a dirty river, simply because they have no choice; the water tap in town is not working. These same rivers and streams are open sewerages that are also used for bathing, washing, cleaning cars and motorcycles and water holes for cattle. According to a study by students of Mountains of Moon University in Fort Portal, Rwimi has the dirtiest and most unhealthy water in the whole country.
Not far from here, in Kasenda Sub county, for many people the crater lakes are the only available water source. If there are any alternatives at all these are often badly built and maintained. Only some people can afford to spend the hundreds of Shillings it costs daily to get proper water. The Crater Lakes are infested with bilharzia, which poses another serious health risk. Bilharzia if not treated can kill people.
In Kasenda Sub county an expensive water supply project was realised by the regional water company. It looks impressive. The only thing is, it does not work. The state of the art pump that has been installed does not run for lack of fuel. The fuel these days is expensive and the people cannot afford to pay for it. And even they could, this project is not theirs, they have never been consulted or involved in the project, so they are not willing to pay for it.
Apart from this, not involving all of the people, can cause other problems. Like in Rwimi Sub County, where some water pipes have been cut by people who were jealous because they were not going to profit from the scheme. Because of the destruction the water distribution is frustrated and now nobody profits.
Scarcity breeds conflict. Lack of information and participation from the communities do too. If not all of the people are properly informed and involved in a new water project, things tend to go wrong. The communities themselves really have to own these water sources. And they have to be educated and understand that they are responsible themselves for the proper use and maintenance. Experience elsewhere has shown that this can really work and that people are prepared to pay fees for maintenance of the sources. In these cases fees have been paid to local authorities, but often the service has been disappointing at best. On several occasions during Anti Corruption Week this issue comes back during the public forums. It is understandable that sometimes these discussions get heated. People distrust authorities and water companies, they have not received what they had been promised, they don't understand why and sometimes, rightly or wrongly, they suspect corruption. Sometimes it is, sometimes not. At any rate, lack of transparency will enhance the distrust of the people. RAC has to follow up on these cases to determine if it is corruption or not and to demand for transparency and accountability from the authorities. And this brings us back to the theme of the Anti Corruption Week 2008: Improving Good Governance and Accountability in the Water Sector in Uganda.
For good governance it is essential that authorities do what they have promised to do and explain to the communities what they can expect. The chief guest at the Kibiito public forum, the Honourable Amina Kaija, Secretary for Finance Planning in Kabarole District, referred to the promise The President had made before that every parish will receive access to clean and safe water. She announced that a new initiative under the Western Water Project will soon take off and this is expected to increase the water sources in Rwimi and Kibiito, among other sub counties. She said that the money for this had already been allocated by Central Government and that construction is about to begin. Whether this project will soon be realised, everyone in Rwimi and Kibiito will be able to witness. And of course RAC monitors certainly will keep a close eye on it.
The Anti Corruption Week 2008 was a success. The processions with the marching bands, the entertaining forum theatre displays and the informative public forums attracted a great number of people. They turned up because this is about something essential to their lives: access to clean and safe water. Not just for the ones who can afford it, but for everyone. Like the woman who lives in a remote part of Rwimi Sub county and has to get up at three in the morning every day to get water. And like the boy at the faulty water tap in Kabonero Parish.
======================================================================
Cadre: The Rwenzori Anti Corruption Coalition (RAC) is a civil society organization, based in Fort Portal, Western Uganda. Officially founded in 2002 and operational since 2003 its aim is to bring together all anti-corruption activists in the Rwenzori region of Western Uganda. By now it is one of the most active and successful anti-corruption organizations in Uganda. It has over 450 members in 5 districts, who monitor, report and fight corruption in their own communities. André Beerda is a Dutch VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer who advises RAC Secretariat on documentation, information and communication. For more information on RAC http://www.racug.info/ and on VSO http://www.vso.org.uk/ and http://www.vso.nl/
by André Beerda
A boy at a water tap. It is running and the boy gets the water he needs. Nothing wrong with the picture, it seems. But there is more to this picture. The water tap is a shoddily constructed rusty old pipe, where the water is continuously streaming from. There is no stop on the tap. For tens of families in Kabonero Parish near the Rwenzori Mountains this is the only water source they have. Some of them, usually the girls and the women, have to walk for miles a couple of times every day to get to this rusty old faulty tap and carry the heavy jerry cans all the way back home. Is it clean and safe water at least? Hard to tell at first glance. The area around the water tap certainly is not. It is wet and muddy, because of the continuous stream of water. A perfect breeding ground for the mosquito's that can cause malaria, still the number one cause of death in Africa. The community is aware of this, but does not have an alternative, they have to get the water from this improvised water tap right here in this puddle of mud.
A few meters from the boy and the water tap almost the entire community is assembled for a spontaneous discussion with local leaders. The discussion is heated at times, the people seem to feel encouraged to come forward by the presence of their guests: activists from the Rwenzori Anti Corruption Coalition and the national Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU) and some international water-experts. It is early December 2008: Anti Corruption Week 2008. The focus is on the water sector and especially here in the District of Kabarole in Western-Uganda. And this is what ACW 2008 is all about. Officially the theme is: Improving Good Governance and Accountability in the Water Sector in Uganda. The theme is well chosen, the water sector is one of the areas that is most affected by poor governance and corruption, especially in procurement. That is were it usually starts to go wrong. When the procurement process is not transparent and contractors get awarded because of their connections and bribery and not because of their expertise, things tend to go wrong further down the line.
The government had promised clean and safe water for all. For a lot of parishes and sub-counties this promise was kept in the past few years and water sources were realized: boreholes, shallow wells, gravity flow schemes. But others are less fortunate, especially those in more remote areas. These communities are still waiting on a water source or have to make do with one that is not functioning properly because it was badly built. According to official government statistics 78% of the people in this region are supposed to have access to clean and safe water. But if that is true, it would imply that still almost a quarter of the people here have no access at all.
The Water Sector is well chosen for another reason. Unofficially the theme of ACW 2008 is: Water is Life. And here in these remote areas of the Kabarole District that becomes as clear as the mountain water from the Rwenzoris. Here at the faulty water tap in the puddle of mud, the breeding ground for malaria-mosquito's, good health and therefore life is immediately threatened. Apart from malaria there are other health risks that are linked to the absence of clean and safe water: typhoid and cholera for instance. Some people from nearby Rwimi for instance drink and use water from a dirty river, simply because they have no choice; the water tap in town is not working. These same rivers and streams are open sewerages that are also used for bathing, washing, cleaning cars and motorcycles and water holes for cattle. According to a study by students of Mountains of Moon University in Fort Portal, Rwimi has the dirtiest and most unhealthy water in the whole country.
Not far from here, in Kasenda Sub county, for many people the crater lakes are the only available water source. If there are any alternatives at all these are often badly built and maintained. Only some people can afford to spend the hundreds of Shillings it costs daily to get proper water. The Crater Lakes are infested with bilharzia, which poses another serious health risk. Bilharzia if not treated can kill people.
In Kasenda Sub county an expensive water supply project was realised by the regional water company. It looks impressive. The only thing is, it does not work. The state of the art pump that has been installed does not run for lack of fuel. The fuel these days is expensive and the people cannot afford to pay for it. And even they could, this project is not theirs, they have never been consulted or involved in the project, so they are not willing to pay for it.
Apart from this, not involving all of the people, can cause other problems. Like in Rwimi Sub County, where some water pipes have been cut by people who were jealous because they were not going to profit from the scheme. Because of the destruction the water distribution is frustrated and now nobody profits.
Scarcity breeds conflict. Lack of information and participation from the communities do too. If not all of the people are properly informed and involved in a new water project, things tend to go wrong. The communities themselves really have to own these water sources. And they have to be educated and understand that they are responsible themselves for the proper use and maintenance. Experience elsewhere has shown that this can really work and that people are prepared to pay fees for maintenance of the sources. In these cases fees have been paid to local authorities, but often the service has been disappointing at best. On several occasions during Anti Corruption Week this issue comes back during the public forums. It is understandable that sometimes these discussions get heated. People distrust authorities and water companies, they have not received what they had been promised, they don't understand why and sometimes, rightly or wrongly, they suspect corruption. Sometimes it is, sometimes not. At any rate, lack of transparency will enhance the distrust of the people. RAC has to follow up on these cases to determine if it is corruption or not and to demand for transparency and accountability from the authorities. And this brings us back to the theme of the Anti Corruption Week 2008: Improving Good Governance and Accountability in the Water Sector in Uganda.
For good governance it is essential that authorities do what they have promised to do and explain to the communities what they can expect. The chief guest at the Kibiito public forum, the Honourable Amina Kaija, Secretary for Finance Planning in Kabarole District, referred to the promise The President had made before that every parish will receive access to clean and safe water. She announced that a new initiative under the Western Water Project will soon take off and this is expected to increase the water sources in Rwimi and Kibiito, among other sub counties. She said that the money for this had already been allocated by Central Government and that construction is about to begin. Whether this project will soon be realised, everyone in Rwimi and Kibiito will be able to witness. And of course RAC monitors certainly will keep a close eye on it.
The Anti Corruption Week 2008 was a success. The processions with the marching bands, the entertaining forum theatre displays and the informative public forums attracted a great number of people. They turned up because this is about something essential to their lives: access to clean and safe water. Not just for the ones who can afford it, but for everyone. Like the woman who lives in a remote part of Rwimi Sub county and has to get up at three in the morning every day to get water. And like the boy at the faulty water tap in Kabonero Parish.
======================================================================
Cadre: The Rwenzori Anti Corruption Coalition (RAC) is a civil society organization, based in Fort Portal, Western Uganda. Officially founded in 2002 and operational since 2003 its aim is to bring together all anti-corruption activists in the Rwenzori region of Western Uganda. By now it is one of the most active and successful anti-corruption organizations in Uganda. It has over 450 members in 5 districts, who monitor, report and fight corruption in their own communities. André Beerda is a Dutch VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer who advises RAC Secretariat on documentation, information and communication. For more information on RAC http://www.racug.info/ and on VSO http://www.vso.org.uk/ and http://www.vso.nl/
