Assessing the Availability and Accessibility to Improved Public Water Sources in Eastern Province A Case of Musheri Sector in Nyagatare District

In this comprehensive study, we assessed the accessibility and availability of potable water in specific communities within the Musheri sector of Nyagatare district, Eastern Province, Rwanda. We systematically selected 95 households using random sampling from various cells within the sector. Utilizing advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) and ArcGIS pro, we precisely documented and analyzed the distribution of public water taps and reservoirs. Rigorous statistical analysis was employed to uncover the correlation between factors influencing accessibility and those affecting water availability. Our findings from respondents revealed that a significant majority 42% of households relied on public water kiosks for safe drinking water from diverse improved public water sources (IPWS) while using ArcGIS Pro multi buffer analysis, we found that 33.87% of households are proximity of 500 m from the public tapes while 66.13% are out of 500m recommended in rural areas . Additionally, 11.58% of respondents reported traveling more than 500 meters to reach a water source, with 18.98% traveling between 20 and 30 minutes. Notably, the proximity to standard water taps in the sector exceeded the recommended 500-meter distance, posing logistical challenges. Despite the extended duration of 5 minutes per 20 liters of jerrycan to obtain water, 45.26% of respondents indicated that the available quantity met their daily needs. Most households consumed an average of 6.82 jerrycans of 20 liters per day. Furthermore, 30.53% of households traveled more than 30 minutes to reach improved public water sources, while only 8.42% could access drinking water within 30 minutes. To address these challenges, we suggest that local municipalities prioritize the provision of water taps within a 500-meter proximity in rural areas. However, this remains noneffective, as some households continue to face insufficient running water due to vandalism, dysfunctional taps, or geographical constraints like low-lying areas prone to drought conditions. Keywords: Availability, accessibility, improved public water sources, Musheri sector