Community based management of surface water sources in rural south western Uganda : a study of Mbarara and Kiruhuru districts

Abstract

Introduction When managed appropriately, water is a precious natural resource, vital for life, development and the environment. Community based management (CBM) is the style of management the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment recommends for most water facilities constructed in rural areas. Although community based management of water facilities is recommended, it is largely for government constructed facilities and many people in the two districts of Kiruhura and Mbarara communally use privately constructed surface water sources. The objectives of this study therefore were to establish; What rules and practices are important in managing government constructed surface water sources in the districts of Mbarara and Kiruhura?; What rules and practices are important in managing communal privately constructed surface water sources in the districts of Mbarara and Kiruhura?; How do rules and practices that are important in managing government constructed sources compare with those that are important in managing privately constructed sources?; What challenges are faced by communities in the districts of Mbarara and Kiruhura in managing surface water sources? Methods In order to achieve the above objectives un-structured interviews with 50 overseers of surface water sources, in-depth interviews with 2 district water officers, and 2 focus group discussions with surface water source users were conducted to gather data. Results With government constructed surface water sources, the practices included holding meetings to discuss the use of water sources, monitoring the use of the sources, establishment of water user committees to monitor the use of water sources. The study established that rules which guide water users could be divided into: daily maintenance rules/dos and don’ts (washing of clothes around the source should be done at a considerable distance from the source, sending very young children to collect water is not allowed, washing vehicles in or very near the sources is not allowed, animals are not allowed to drink directly from the source, bathing and playing in the water source is not allowed, drawing water for sale is not allowed, permission must be sought before drawing water for livestock, stepping into the water is not allowed), periodical maintenance rules and rules relating to land use patterns around the water sources. The practices associated with managing privately constructed surface water sources included to a limited extent holding meetings to discuss the use of water sources, establishment of water user committees to monitor the use of water sources and to a large extent informal monitoring of the use of water sources. The study established that rules which guide water users could also be divided into: daily maintenance rules/dos and don’ts (washing of clothes around the source should be done at a considerable distance from the source, sending very young children to collect water is not allowed, washing vehicles in or very near the sources is not allowed, animals are not allowed to drink directly from the source, bathing and playing in the water source is not allowed, drawing water for sale is not allowed, permission must be sought before drawing water for livestock, stepping into the water is not allowed), periodical maintenance rules and rules relating to land use patterns around the water sources. A comparison of the two types of surface water sources showed that government constructed water sources generally are subjected to more misuse than privately constructed but communally used water sources. With privately constructed sources, the possibility of iii banning certain water users from accessing water sources remains very real and partly explains the better water use practices that they enjoyed over the government constructed sources. Challenges faced by communities in managing surface water sources included drying up of the sources, difficulty of rallying water users to participate in maintaining sources, dysfunctional water pumping technologies. Other challenges emanated from conflicting land uses, the levels of water quality, and use of water sources stealthily at night. Conclusion Currently, an effective institutional framework governing the use of surface water sources in Mbarara and Kiruhura does not exist. This is mainly because there is a gap between the rules and the practices on the ground. Despite this, the potential for the development of effective institutions to govern the use of surface water sources exists. The rules and the potential to generate more “current” rules to respond to changing situations exist and now what needs to be changed are the daily practices in order for these to match with the existing rules.