The Current State and Future Prospects of Water and Sanitation Services in East Africa: The Case of Rwanda

Abstract

Water and sanitation are the essences of sustainable development, as evidenced by the wide variety of services they offer. Developing countries must be concerned with the way in which they provide water and sanitation services to the general public. This review paper was intended to evaluate the condition of water and sanitation services in Rwanda by comparing the actual performance of water and sanitation in different communities for durable development. In this paper, the reviewing process was based on open access papers and documents that used water supply or sanitation as a keyword. In addition, a field survey coupled with onsite interviews in some regions was also conducted. According to the findings, 87% and 86% of the entire population in Rwanda access water and sanitation services from drinking water sources and sanitation facilities that are improved, respectively. This implies that advances in people’s living conditions follow the expansion of water and sanitation services. However, settlement style and financial concerns are considered to be the most significant impediments to the achievement of the aim of comprehensive coverage for water and sanitation services. This study suggests the government continues accelerating sustainable water and sanitation services to citizens by outlining the main hindrances to sanitation services and providing sustainable solutions for sustainable development.