For years, the residents of Nakivale Refugee Settlement have battled one of the most basic yet critical challenges: access to clean water.
Now, thanks to a transformative water project led by the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), over 15,000 refugees are experiencing a new lease on life.
For 43-year-old Nyiramugisha Nsabimana, a community leader and mother of ten, the journey to water once meant a perilous trek to Lake Nakivale, risking encounters with crocodiles, venomous snakes, and the ever-present threat of waterborne diseases. Today, those hardships are a thing of the past.
“Water was a major challenge when we first arrived,” Nyiramugisha recalls. “We often suffered from dysentery, stomach infections, and malaria. But now, our children can fetch clean water safely, and they’re healthier. They even attend school regularly.”
The game-changer came with the completion of the Misera Water Treatment Plant, a facility built by URCS and supported by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the Austrian Development Cooperation, through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Austrian Red Cross.
The plant boasts impressive infrastructure tailored for sustainability and efficiency, including a 1,000-meter-long absorption pipe positioned in the middle of Lake Nakivale, a cascade aerator with a 50 m³/hour capacity, a reinforced sedimentation tank, a four-chamber filtration system, a 200 m³ clear water ground tank, two high-capacity submersible pumps, and a 31.5-kilowatt solar panel system ensuring uninterrupted operation.
“The completion of the Misera Water Treatment Plant is a transformative moment for this community,” said Project Manager Eng. Jimmy Otim. “This isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about restoring dignity, improving health, and creating opportunity.”
Nyiramugisha, who arrived at Nakivale in 2007, now uses the clean water for cooking, cleaning, bathing, and even irrigating her vegetable garden.
“We’ve been taught to boil the water to make it even safer. This has helped us keep our children healthy,” she said. “I grow vegetables year-round, and sometimes I sell them to buy essentials like school supplies.”
Beyond individual households, the new water system has greatly improved community health and sanitation, drastically reducing cases of waterborne illness and freeing residents, particularly women and children, from the daily burden of trekking long distances for water.
While the plant is now fully operational, engineers are completing final tests and installing an online chlorine dozer to ensure optimal water quality.
Reflecting on her journey from displacement to stability, Nyiramugisha says, “Leaving my home country was difficult, but here, access to clean water has given my family a better life. I’m truly grateful to the Uganda Red Cross Society for making this possible.”
As the taps continue to flow in Nakivale, the impact of clean water extends far beyond quenching thirst, it’s empowering families, restoring hope, and laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient future.
