Rwanda rural homes complain of high costs of piped water
Queueing for water in rural Rwanda. The cost of connection to the main network is prohibitive for rural dwellers. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA
Rural households in Rwanda are struggling to meet the high charges imposed on them by contractors in order to get connected to piped water. Some of the contractors also double up as suppliers of key materials required to access the main supply line.
Residents say that in many cases, the prices forced on households aspiring to get piped water are in some instances double the market rate, putting the service beyond the reach of the poor and low-income earners who make up the majority of rural population.
