Problems Facing Uganda
Global Partnership
Global Partnership
Problem:
95% of people in urban areas and 68% in rural areas have access to safe water. Access to sanitation is much lower, with 34% of the population in both urban and rural areas using improved sanitation facilities. While significant water infrastructure exists in Uganda, due to a lack of strong operation and maintenance mechanisms, many systems are broken down and much of the infrastructure no longer meets government standards for access, quantity, and quality. Water-borne diseases are the main cause of morbidity in all the countries in the region, and poor sanitation compounds health problems in both urban and rural environments.
Causes:
Variability in rainfall results in frequent bouts of water scarcity and, during these times, demand exceeds supply. Human settlement patterns also influence, and are influenced by, freshwater availability. Moreover, conflicts over water are increasing as population grows and the use of different technologies in agricultural production changes water flows in the streams and rivers.
Solution:
Providing countries with a solution to purify the water that exists in their region; will enable safe drinking water for the communities. The Lifesaver bottle is a portable purification device. The bottle filters out objects larger than 15 nanometres. The Lifesaver bottle can be provided to Ugandan people. The United Nations currently spends millions of dollars providing water to disaster inflicted areas. The money can be better spent by providing water bottles that are able to sterilize the water that already exists in the area.