Residents of Matimba Sector, Nyagatare District, are enjoying a taste of clean water, thanks to a water treatment plant installed in the sector by Microdrop Aqua, a Danish company and Histechnology Group, its local partner.

The firm announced, yesterday, that after a 12 month test run, they now produce safe and clean drinking water at their treatment plant in Matimba, with plans to roll out the same technology countrywide.

"Our technology uses filters and ultraviolet rays to kill all bacteria in water, purify it and make it safe for drinking in accordance with recognized standards by World Health Organization (WHO)," said Tea Jeni Misago, the CEO of Histechnology in an interview.

He said that they have an agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure to invest in modern water treatment plants after the success of their pilot phase.

"We are going to start creating the same countrywide," he said.

"We are currently in negotiations with EWSA to see how their system can connect to these plants so that all tap water in the country can be safe for drinking".

Laboratory tests carried out on the plant by the Energy and Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) indicated that the "parameters are within accepted limits for drinking water."

EWSA noted that although water produced by this treatment unit is safe, it is important to carry out a microbiological analysis.

"When we begin full operation, we shall negotiate with EWSA to ascertain the tariffs to be paid by the customers. We however expect it to be lower than the usual rate EWSA charges on water because our costs of production are low," Misago said.

This, he said, is their contribution to the goals set by the government, that all people shall have access to clean water by the year 2017.

The new containerized treatment plant, which cost around one million Euros (Rwf800 million), has the capacity to treat up to 105 cubic metres of water per day.