00:01Working underground is no ordinary job,
00:04but for well diggers in Uganda it's part of daily life
00:08as they search beneath the earth for safe water.
00:13I started digging wells in 2017.
00:16It's my main livelihood and the only way I'm able to provide for my family.
00:24Weather produced from handag wells, piped springs or high-tech pumping systems,
00:30groundwater sustains billions of people worldwide every day.
00:34But water drawn from beneath the earth's surface is not always safe.
00:38At a public school in Intungamo district in western Uganda,
00:42the water became a serious problem.
00:44The community relied on a single bower hole,
00:47but it produced contaminated water.
00:51It was not good because it turned the colour of our food,
00:56and even the smell was not good.
00:59So the water was not good for consumption.
01:03Worried about the health of the students,
01:05the headteacher reported the issue to authorities.
01:08The government asked private consultant,
01:11Julius Musumenta, to investigate.
01:14Tests showed very high levels of iron in the water,
01:17making it unsafe to drink.
01:18The primary reports indicated iron concentration of about 1 mg per litre,
01:24but this appears to be much higher than 10 mg per litre.
01:30Too much iron, heavy metals, or substances like arsenic in water are a serious health risk.
01:38Hydrologist Ambrose Mobialiwo explains why.
01:41Ascenic even when it is to a low concentration.
01:46So long as it goes beyond what the World Health Organization permits,
01:51it can actually cause these chronic diseases like cancer.
01:54But it's possible to filter a lot of substances from the water,
01:59making it safe to drink.
02:00At his workshop in Kampala,
02:03Julius Musumenta constructed a filtration system to do just that.
02:07One unit has been installed at Itojo Boys School at a cost of about $30,000.
02:13The solar powered system can filter enough water to serve 1,500 households.
02:18The water is very clear.
02:19We are just going to follow it up with lab tests to confirm the performance,
02:26which we know is supposed to be very good.
02:30Even before the lab results are out, the school is hopeful.
02:35So now you don't have any smell in the water.
02:38But groundwater is only part of the challenge.
02:42In Kampala, attention is also on surface water.
02:45Lake Victoria is not only Uganda's largest source of fresh water.
02:49At 66,000 square kilometers, it is the second largest lake in the world by area.
02:55It supports more than 40 million people in East Africa.
02:59And is one of the main sources of the River Nile,
03:02sustaining ecosystems from the tropical wetlands to the desert.
03:06But there's something foul in the air.
03:09Recently, I went to the lake and you find the water.
03:12It has a lot of arug growth.
03:14Arug has basically grown on the lake and it was green.
03:19The water was green, which is meant supposed to be blue.
03:23Alongside climate change, experts point to pollution from homes and industry
03:28as a key driver of the water contamination in the lake.
03:32Streams carrying untreated wastewater flow directly into it.
03:36In some areas, the smell is very strong.
03:39So we need to identify these sources and treat the water to discharge standards.
03:46Such fresh water pollution is forcing water suppliers to look further away for clean water sources,
03:53which also pushes up bills.
03:55Julius Musmenta says most sewage treatment plants would protect fresh water sources like the lake,
04:02as well as groundwater.
04:03He's developed a wastewater recycling system for homes.
04:07Waste used in a bathroom passes through pipes where solid waste is separated.
04:12The water is then pumped into a clarifier, filtered through and disinfected using ultraviolet light.
04:19After about 72 hours of treatment, the wastewater becomes clear again, ready for reusing toilets,
04:26for irrigation or to be safely discharged in nature.
04:30In this scenario, instead of emptying, you have this water quality, which is not a nuisance.
04:36Nobody is complaining. It is being used. You are making a saving.
04:40And when you discharge it, if you don't want to use it because of mindset, into the storm drain, nobody
04:46complains.
04:47The solid waste is broken down by its own bacteria and microorganisms.
04:53After some time, the sludge can be extracted and be used as fertilizer on farms.
04:59This is a structural economy. We get waste and reuse and we are recycling.
05:04And even the solids are being sold. You can sell them to those that have farms.
05:10And you only sell it because it will be dried and it will not be capable of contaminating whoever would
05:19be handling it.
05:20According to UN Water, more than 40% of household wastewater worldwide is released into the environment without proper treatment.
05:29In Africa, that figure is estimated at 80 to 90%, which is a huge environmental problem and a major public
05:37health issue.
05:38In Uganda, three in four diseases are related to a lack of access to safe water and sanitation.
05:45People like Julius Musimenta are working at all levels to provide safe water access and wastewater systems to as many
05:52people as possible.
05:54With currently existing technology, human lives and the environment can be protected by something as simple as a toilet flush.
06:01And if enough such systems can be installed long term, then well diggers can be more likely to find clean
06:08water deep underground again.
06:11It's particularly fascinating to see how Africa's largest lake is choked, yet it supports over 40 million livelihoods here in
06:20Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
06:23But it's also equally fascinating to see how one man's idea can help reverse the damage.
06:30It's a daily reminder of how our life choices can either break the ecosystems or sustain them for generations to
06:39come.
06:40It's a daily basis for us to train the community of people.
06:41It's more likely to become a tribe that our lives are capable of, but it provides them for the death
06:43of us as part of our lives.
06:43Our
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