SDG 13 IN UGANDA

William Otyang's story

Following the Paris Agreement, Uganda has pledged a 22% reduction in its national-level CO2 emissions compared to the business-as-usual projection by 2030.

The Toshiba CarbonZero Scheme supports the ongoing activities to rehabilitate and maintain boreholes in Uganda. These are mainly boreholes which have fallen into disrepair, denying communities access to safe water and forcing people to burn firewood in order to boil water to make it safe, thereby contributing to CO2 emissions.

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Okar village is in Kole district in Uganda’s Northern Region. It has a population of over 400 people spread across 90 households and is served by the borehole rehabilitated by CO2balance under the Toshiba CarbonZero scheme.

William Otyang lives just 50 metres away from the borehole with his wife and children and notes the dramatic impact it has had on his family: “The water yield from the borehole is very high and it is very reliable as a water source. The water user committee come and close the borehole in the night but we welcome that because we know that they do it so that the borehole doesn’t run out of water. It’s very convenient to have the water source for collecting water and we are happy to be able to collect water any time in the day without fear that the well will be dry.”

In addition to the benefit of a secure water supply, William pointed out how his family’s consumption of firewood has now decreased because they are guaranteed a full-time safe water supply so do not need to worry about boiling their water in order to make it safe. This has saved the family a vast amount of time on gathering firewood which, along with the time saved on collecting water, has allowed William to devote himself full-time to farming chilli and soya beans, providing vital nutrition for his children and valuable income from sales at the local market.

Crucially, the reduced need to boil water in order to make it safe has allowed the family to dramatically reduce their CO2 emissions through burning biomass. Users like William have also been sensitised by the borehole maintenance committee on the need to plant more trees in the vicinity of the borehole and community as a whole. This helps to remove pollutants from the soil and also improves its water retention, thereby improving the recharge capacity of the borehole and ensuring that it remains a reliable water source. Additionally, this work to plant and conserve trees also improves carbon sequestration and helps the community to make a positive impact to mitigating climate change whilst also preserving its own water supply for the long term.

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