In Central Uganda, factories discharge waste directly into water sources, severely contaminating streams like Naava, Misiri, and Nakwaga. These streams flow into the Nile, playing a crucial role in its hydrological cycle and directly impacting nearby villages, such as Naminya village in Njeru.

Robinah Byegajye, a businesswoman from Naminya, recounts the severe health impacts faced by women, including urogenital health issues and infectious diseases. “The factories have contaminated the Naava and Misiri water streams. Our water is so polluted that we can no longer consume it.”

“When I first contracted vaginal infections, I was pregnant with my fourth child, and my baby was at risk. Initially, I thought it was witchcraft, but a medical centre diagnosed it as an infection,” she shares. Byegajye’s experiences of contracting vaginal infections during pregnancy and suffering from typhoid underscore the evolving health crisis.

Byegajye’s story is not unique. Medical professionals like Dr Mondo Ben David, an obstetrician/gynaecologist at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, confirm the broader implications of such contamination. He emphasises the significant impact of polluted water on women’s health, particularly regarding vaginal infections. Dr Ben David explains that direct contact with contaminated water exposes women to harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

“These microorganisms can enter the vaginal area, leading to infections such as bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs),” Dr Ben David says. “When a woman has bacterial vaginosis, the epithelium is damaged, compromising the protective barrier of the vagina. This makes it easier for her to contract STIs from an infected partner because the initial infection from the contaminated water has already weakened her vaginal health.” Chronic exposure to contaminated water also weakens the immune system, making women more susceptible to various infections. It often contains heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury, further compromising overall health.

Research confirms Dr Ben David’s explanations. In 2023, the Water Research Journal published a study demonstrating that water pollution significantly increases harmful fungi, including those that can cause infections. Certain yeast species are found more often in polluted waters, indicating contamination. Higher pollution levels raise the risk of infection, with more dangerous yeast species posing a more significant threat even in smaller amounts.

The impact at the local level is loud, and citizens demand to be heard. Sozi Abdu, the second local council (LC2) chairperson of the Naminya zone, emphasises the urgent need for government intervention. “Factories release polluted smoke and biogas at night, making it impossible for women to cut banana leaves or for animals to eat grass. Washing clothes is futile as they come out dirtier due to the black substances from the factories,” he explains. “Sometimes, we don’t have national water for a week and are forced to use the contaminated stream water. This has caused numerous health issues and the death of animals,” the LC2 chairperson adds.

Despite writing letters of concern to the different government institutions, including the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, they have yet to receive a response. In one of their petitions, the community of Njeru Central Division and Wakisi Division, Buikwe District, outlined the villages that are at risk and the factories causing the pollution. The petition even mentions that one company’s Environment and Safety personnel “confirmed that there are some leakages of water from the factory that are not yet handled, and it goes out into the streams.” Despite this, action has yet to be undertaken.

Girls for Climate Action (G4CA), a civil society organisation working to empower ecology and climate education in Njeru municipality, published a Situational Analysis Report on Water Pollution in Naava and Misiri Water Streams/Water Sources. The study, conducted from October 2023 to February 2024, collected and analysed industrial wastewater samples from different effluent discharge points. The key findings revealed that on a normal day, between one and three water quality parameters did not conform to NEMA standards. On days of waste release, between four and twelve parameters failed to meet NEMA standards. The worst water quality was detected at the NAVA-Kampala Jinja Highway Bridge crossing, with Modern Distillery and Briton Lubricant identified as the highest polluters.

Joanitah Babirye, Executive Director of G4CA, highlights the severity of the water pollution. “This affects everyone, especially women, and disrupts ecosystems, animals, and insects,” Babirye explains.

According to the National Environmental Act 2019, communities have the right to a clean and healthy environment. Ugandan law mandates that factories must be at least 100 metres from a river’s highest watermark, but many factories are much closer. Residents of Buikwe district, where Njeru is located, demand that their voices be heard and their well-being be prioritised in decision-making processes. They argue that current procedures are inadequate and fail to address the community’s immediate needs. NaFIRRI strongly recommends “better wastewater treatment practices before discharge into the environment,” as mentioned in the conclusion of the contamination lab report of the Naava, Misiri, and Nakwaga streams.

Babirye stresses the importance of empowering women and girls to fight for climate justice, emphasising the need for immediate action to protect the community’s wellbeing.

The case of industrial pollution in the Buikwe district highlights the crucial link between environmental health and the wellbeing of communities. Addressing this issue requires stricter enforcement of environmental regulations and a commitment to understanding how our actions create these problems. By prioritising health and wellbeing, especially women’s, we can safeguard the basic human need for a clean and healthy environment, benefiting the entire community. Byegajye’s experience proves this: “These streams used to provide fresh water that didn’t need boiling. Now, chemicals from factories are contaminating them.  When I stopped using stream water, my health improved.”

This article is part of The Niles Issue #19, The Feminine & The Nile, produced by Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) with financial support from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). It is part of the initiative The Niles: Strengthening Media Capacities and Networks in the Nile Basin, supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office (AA). The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of SIWI, GIZ, the German Federal Foreign Office, or MiCT.