Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda

Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda

Data
Water coverage (broad definition)	77% (2015)[1]
Sanitation coverage (broad definition)	57% (2015)[1]
Continuity of supply	n/a
Average urban water use (L/person/day)	n/a
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3)	2700 Rwandan Franc (USD 4) per month for 10 cubic meters in urban areas, at the 2013 exchange rate of 670 RWF per USD
Share of household metering	n/a
Annual investment in WSS	US$4/capita (2006) in rural areas alone[2]
Share of external financing	Mainly grants by external donors
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalities	In rural areas only, since 2002
Water and sanitation regulator	None
Responsibility for policy setting	Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forests, Water and Mines
Sector law	n/a
No. of urban service providers	One (WASAC)
No. of rural service providers	847 water systems

Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda is characterized by a clear government policy and significant donor support. In response to poor sustainability of rural water systems and poor service quality, in 2002 local government in the Northern Byumba Province contracted out service provision to the local private sector in a form of public–private partnership. Support for public-private partnerships became a government policy in 2004 and locally initiated public-private partnerships spread rapidly, covering 25% of rural water systems as of 2007.

In urban areas, the Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) is in charge of water supply. In March 2015, the government signed a 27-year contract with a private company to invest $75 million in order to provide 40,000 cubic meters/day of bulk water from a wellfield next to the Nyabarongo River to the capital Kigali.^[3] It is the first contract of this type in Sub-Saharan Africa.