Rwandan Government Prioritizes Funding for Enhanced Water Supply Infrastructure Development

A combination of below-average rainfall and human activity, including the draining of the Rugezi wetlands for cultivation and grazing, caused the water levels of Lakes Burera and Ruhondo to fall from 1990 onwards; by 2004, levels were reduced by 50%, leading to a sharp drop in output from the power stations. This, coupled with increased demand as the economy grew, precipitated a shortfall in 2004 and widespread loadshedding. As an emergency measure, the government installed diesel generators north of Kigali; by 2006, these were providing 56% of the country's electricity, but were very costly. The government enacted a number of measures to alleviate this problem, including rehabilitating the Rugezi wetlands, which supply water to Burera and Ruhondo, and investing in a scheme to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu, expected in its first phase to increase the country's power generation by 40%. Only 18% of the population had access to electricity in 2012, though this had risen from 10.8% in 2009. The government's Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2013–18 aimed to increase access to electricity to 70% of households by 2017.