Bujumbura : drinking water shortage worries the population

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 22, 2025 – The city of Bujumbura, the commercial and main capital of the small east African nation, where all United Nations agencies and the central administration are concentrated, faces a persistent drinking water shortage affecting almost all of its neighborhoods. REGIDESO, the sole state-owned company responsible for water and electricity distribution, explains that this situation is the result of the rehabilitation work on the Rubirizi dam, while emphasizing that the population of the commercial capital continues to grow.

In northern Bujumbura, particularly in the Cibitoke, Kinama, and Kamenge zones, residents live in fear due to the intermittent lack of drinking water. This situation is seriously disrupting daily life and paralyzing economic activities, particularly those of restaurant owners.

To obtain water, some residents are forced to resort to bicycle taxis, which sell a 20-liter container for between 1,000 and 1,500 Burundi francs. Several restaurant owners report operating at a loss, having to buy water at exorbitant prices while the cost of basic necessities remains unchanged.

“I go three days without a single drop of water in my tap.” “I rely on bicycle riders to get water and am forced to pay between 1,000 and 1,500 Burundi francs to continue my work, but I’m afraid that diseases related to uncleanness could affect us,” laments a restaurant owner in Kamenge.

Other residents in the central neighborhoods of Bwiza and Nyakabiga also experience long periods without water, increasing health risks, especially since recent cases of cholera have been reported. The population is calling on the government, and particularly REGIDESO, to quickly restore access to drinking water.

During ceremonies marking the 64th anniversary of the victory of the UPRONA party, which played a central role in Burundi’s independence, Olivier Nkurunzinza, party chairman, reiterated that the vision of an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060 cannot be realized without effective water management.

“Water scarcity causes diseases related to uncleanness, such as cholera, dysentery, and others. Water is a fundamental element in human life,” he insisted, calling on REGIDESO to find an immediate solution in the interest of the residents of Bujumbura.

REGIDESO press releases indicate that this disruption is due to the rehabilitation work on the Rubirizi dam and the rapid expansion of urban neighborhoods, which is increasing the demand for drinking water.