4.2.2 Physical and social
infrastructure
According to the urban, financial and organizational audit of
Nyarugenge district by the ministry of infrastructure, Muhima sector where
Amahoro cell is found has 52 Ha of surface area that was settled spontaneously,
with a population of 8765 living in this spontaneous settlement (MININFRA,
2009). Muhima sector has a housing density of 120 houses per Ha. But in some
cells such as Amahoro (the case study), Nyabugogo and former Ubumwe informal
residential area the housing density is higher. Amahoro cell has one paved road
crossing the cell from Kacyiru in Gasabo district to the city centre, another
one crossing it along the wetland from Kimicanga through Ubumwe cell to
Nyabugogo (figure 6) and 3 other unpaved roads feeding different villages of
the cell.
Figure 5: Orthophoto showing roads crossing Amahoro
cell
Source: Rwanda Natural Resources
Authority
Amahoro cell has one hospital (Muhima hospital), five churches
and no public water collection. People fetch water from poor sanitary sources
such as wetlands (photo4).
Photograph 4: Source of water in
Amahoro cell
Source: Author, 2011
The above photograph shows the common place near the wetland
where households without piped water supply in their homes fetch. Water fetched
here is not pure since comes from an open source and it becomes worse
especially when it rains.
The drainage system in Amahoro cell is not well constructed.
Most of the gutters channeling rain water and sewage from households are
exposed and gradually expand attacking nearby buildings (photo 5). These
gutters (Ruhurura) have bad odor which affects people close to them and worse
enough they drain in the wetland affecting the ecosystem.
Photograph 5: State of the
drainage system
 
Source: Author, 2011
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