For decades, residents living along the boundaries of Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve faced a difficult choice whenever they needed water.
Some trekked for kilometres to the shores of Lake Albert, risking attacks from crocodiles, while others ventured into protected wildlife areas in search of water and other resources.
The daily struggle not only endangered lives but also fuelled tensions between communities and conservation authorities as some residents crossed into the reserve and engaged in illegal activities, including poaching.
Today, however, access to water is helping transform relations between people and wildlife.
At least 100,000 residents in water-stressed communities surrounding Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve are benefiting from 600 rainwater harvesting tanks installed under the World Bank-funded Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development (IFPA-CD) project.
The programme, which began in 2021 and is expected to conclude this month, covers communities in Kabale and Buseruka sub-counties in Hoima District as well as Kabwoya and Kyangwali sub-counties in Kikuube District.
The tanks, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 litres in capacity, have been distributed free of charge to vulnerable households, schools, health centres, churches and police posts.
According to Raymond Kato, Senior Warden of Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve, the intervention was designed to tackle both water scarcity and human-wildlife conflict.
‘People were fetching water from the lake and reserve, exposing themselves to danger. Some were attacked by crocodiles while others entered protected areas in search of water and other resources. The tanks promote peaceful co-existence between communities and wildlife,’ he said.
Kato said improved access to water has significantly reduced movement into the reserve, easing pressure on wildlife habitats and strengthening conservation efforts. The current phase of the project cost about Shs800 million.
Beyond water provision, the initiative has supported beekeeping, facilitated the formation of resource users’ associations and established five regulated resource access agreements allowing communities to legally collect firewood, medicinal herbs, thatching grass and black soil under controlled conditions.
Crocodile risk reduced
The project has also financed new infrastructure within the reserve, including 20 staff houses for junior officers and a residence for the senior warden. For residents, the changes have been immediate.
At Kyehoro Landing Site, fisherman Santo Oyer remembers the dangers that once accompanied every search for water.
‘We used to make several trips to the lake every week. During the rainy season the routes became slippery, and there was always fear of crocodiles. Since the tanks were installed, many families no longer have to make those risky journeys,’ he said on Monday.
For 76-year-old Thereza Tibangaina of Nyakabale Village, access to water has become less of a daily burden.
‘I used to walk about five kilometres to fetch water. Sometimes I had to buy water because I could not manage the journey. Now I can get water much closer to home and it has made life easier for me,’ she said.
The benefits extend beyond households. At Kikuube Health Centre IV, six rainwater harvesting tanks now support sanitation services for an estimated 20,000 people.
‘These tanks have restored sanitation services at the health facility and support a catchment population of about 20,000 people. Clean water is critical in maintaining hygiene standards and preventing infections,’ said facility in-charge Richard Kugonza.
Welcome relief to households
Schools are also reporting improvements. Christopher Mbabazi, head teacher of Kikuube Union Vision Secondary School, said seven tanks installed at the school have reduced the time students spend collecting water.
‘Previously, students spent a lot of time queuing at boreholes to fetch water. The tanks have reduced those interruptions and enabled students to concentrate more on their studies. We have observed improvements in attendance and academic performance,’ he said.
Local leaders say the intervention has eased pressure on limited water sources.
Geoffrey Kumakech Demaya, LC1 chairperson of Kaiso B Village, said the area’s more than 3,000 residents previously relied on a single borehole.
‘The tanks have provided welcome relief to many households. Although more water infrastructure is still needed, this project has greatly reduced the pressure on the few available sources,’ he said.
According to district records, safe water coverage in Hoima District increased from 74.29 percent in 2024 to 75.07 percent in 2025.
Security agencies have also benefited, with police officials reporting reduced expenditure on water at police facilities.
For conservationists, the gains are equally significant.
Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve, which stretches along the shores of Lake Albert and hosts one of Uganda’s largest populations of Uganda kob, is experiencing reduced human pressure as fewer residents enter the protected area in search of water.
Officials say this is helping wildlife habitats recover while complementing ongoing conservation and wildlife-restocking efforts.
As the IFPA-CD project nears completion, communities around the reserve are already witnessing how a basic service can generate far-reaching benefits.
What began as a response to chronic water shortages has evolved into a model supporting conservation, public health, education and community livelihoods.