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2,000 Buvuma Islanders Get Access To Safe Drinking Water

At least 2,000 residents on Buvuma Island, the largest island on the chain, have received 430 water filters from SPOUTS of Water, a social enterprise that produces the Purifaaya Ceramic Water filters.

Buvuma Island has one of the highest incidents of water-borne diseases like Bilharzia and typhoid because of poor sanitation of residents, its heavy reliance on lake water and limited access to electricity and gas as fuels for water treatment.

According to Paul Matovu, the SPOUTS’ social programmes manager, 10 Purifaaya filters were given to Kirongo Primary School, 20 filters were given to community leaders, and 378 filters were given to households.

“To ensure that the community accesses safe water at all times and in all places, we installed water filters in public spaces that include churches, mosques, and the Busamuzi Health Center III, the only health center in the sub-county, to improve lives of more than 700 students and over 370 households,” said Matovu.

Purifaaya is a ceramic water filter made using local materials to provide an affordable, effective, and easy-to-use solution to water access in Uganda.

Studies show that up to 10 million Ugandans live without safe water and up to 75% of diseases such as diarrhea which affect them are caused by a lack of clean water and proper sanitation. Statistics further indicate that more than 15 million people don’t treat water, which is 53% of Uganda’s population.

Buvuma Island has a population of approximately 20,000 people.

 

Richard Kamya
Richard is a Digital Communication Specialist and an Entrepreneur

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