New assessment reveals contamination of deep boreholes, groundwater sources in Masindi

A recent investigation into deep groundwater quality has revealed high levels of contamination in boreholes, raising serious concerns among Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) experts over the safety of water sources previously considered reliable for rural communities.

The findings come as Uganda continues to struggle to achieve universal access to safe, clean water.

According to Dr Ashabrick Nantege, manager of the Appropriate Technology Centre (ACT) under the Ministry of Water and Environment, the study identified both chemical and microbial hazards in deep boreholes.

The investigation, conducted between July and September 2025, examined more than 40 boreholes across all 11 sub-counties in Masindi district.

“We discovered that the groundwater chemistry is very aggressive. There are extremely high concentrations of total iron in some aquifers, counts went beyond 180, which is alarming,” she noted during an interview with the New Vision on the sidelines of the 15th Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Conference.

The event was organised by the Uganda Water and Sanitation Network in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment and other supporting partners.

Nantege said the analysis also detected dangerous levels of lead, manganese and ammonia, alongside harmful microbial contaminants.

“We found total coliforms in several samples, and in some boreholes, deep ones, there was even E. coli. This indicates serious contamination,” she added.

Nantege attributed the contamination to several preventable causes, including poor catchment management and inadequate sanitation practices.

“I am attributing this to a number of things. One of them is the poor management of the catchment, and you find that sometimes there is seepage of the polluted stuff into the water, but also you talk about the pit latrines that they dig around,” she said.

She noted that many latrines are dug very deep, sometimes reaching aquifers, and that hygiene practices during installation and at the water sources themselves also contribute to contamination.

During community engagement meetings, residents reported experiencing typhoid after drinking from certain boreholes. Initially sceptical, investigators later confirmed contamination after drawing samples directly from aquifers.

She called for a holistic response involving catchment restoration, environmentally sustainable sanitation solutions and equipping communities with practical alternatives.

This includes providing catalogues of safe latrine designs and training local masons in proper construction techniques.

She added that repairs to intact boreholes are relatively affordable, often costing less than sh100,000, while severely damaged boreholes may require full casing, flushing or complete reconstruction, especially in areas with aggressive water chemistry.

Nantege also highlighted the Poldaw Riser System, a new technology designed to mitigate the rapid corrosion of galvanised iron pipes in such conditions.

“GI pipes corrode quickly, releasing rust into the water. But poldaw pipes and collars have proven resilient even in the harshest conditions,” she said.

A team of experts from nine districts, the Ministry of Water and Environment, WaterAid, local governments and affected communities recently assessed the technology. It scored highly across technical, socio-economic, environmental and community acceptance indicators.

Despite the promising results, Nantege warned that similar contamination issues may exist in other districts across Uganda, given the widespread environmental degradation.

According to the Annual Programme Performance Report 2024, Uganda has 46,664 boreholes nationwide.

Nantege cautioned that without urgent, coordinated action, rural water safety could face a long-term crisis that infrastructure alone cannot solve.

“It’s about changing how we interact with our environment. Clean water begins with how we treat the land above it,” she added.