ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The applicable legislative framework as regards management of wastewater in Rwanda is not yet defined. The current sewerage system does not allow the connection of domestic wastewater from the buildings to the public storm drainage network. Any wastewater discharge other than rainwater, in the public sewers is prohibited. Vis-a-vis this situation, the town of Butare recommends that all the domestic wastewater is collected and discharged into septic tanks and soakaways and then joining the natural environment through groundwater infiltration. According to the importance of Butare it seems that the authorities have to take action in order to modernize its basic infrastructure and to meet acceptable technical standards. Upgrading of water and sanitation infrastructure has thus become one of the priorities for the Butare town, especially because the existing infrastructure is old and no longer sufficient. This paper looks at the sustainability of current drainage system infrastructure and maintenance practices in Butare. Because of lack of data in Butare, especially in terms of maintenance of infrastructure, a field survey was conducted in February and May 2008. The results showed that the water infrastructure suffered from the problems of corrosion, old age, cracks, breakages, and the water supplied is generally not adequate for the town. The open drainage system had problems of siltation, poor maintenance, and inadequate design capacity. The drainage network infrastructure had problems related to poor coverage, no institutional support for maintenance and control, no public sanitation facilities, no regulations and/or standards, etc. From this it was concluded that the drainage network in Butare is critical and not sustainable. It was therefore recommended that the authorities should make a condition inventory of the infrastructure and set up a rehabilitation programme.
