Residents demand clean water as wells break down in Kabarole

Pathetic. A man fetches water from a well at Nyabubale Village in Kabarole District recently. Access to clean water is still a challenge in the district. FILE PHOTO 

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Residents-demand-clean-water-as-wells-break-down/688334-4156034-format-xhtml-fy59mmz/index.html

THURSDAY OCTOBER 26 2017

In Summary

·         Outcry. They say government built shallow wells in Kagusu and Mugusu A villages that broke down three years later..

By FELIX BASIIME & ALEX ASHABA

KABAROLE. Ms Annette Nsugwa, 51, is a resident of Kagusu Village in Karambi Sub-county, Kabarole District. 

Like many area residents, Ms Nsugwa uses dirty water in her home that she fetches over a kilometre away since a water source set up by the government three years ago broke down.

She says two shallow wells were built in 2010 but one has been non-functional in the last three years. This has forced many residents to draw water for domestic use from wetlands and sand mines.

“I don’t think government is doing a good thing towards extending safe water to Ugandans if no plans are put in place to maintain them. We have been using dirty water for four years,” Ms Nsugwa says.

Mr Lawrence Ahebwa, 63, another resident, says: “We don’t know why water sources built by our government break down faster. Can I say they use poor materials or the contractors hand over shoddy work? Our government should wake up.”

Mr Rashid Kushemererwa, a resident of Mugusu A Village in Busoro Sub-county, says the only well that was built by government in 2010 broke down in 2013.

“The first time when our shallow broke down, we were told that the pipes that were used got damaged but now we don’t know what happened. Our leaders only show up during political campaigns,” Mr Kushemererwa says.

Reports of non-functional water sources around the district are several.
The most affected areas are Mugusu A and Kanyamakere both in Busoro Sub-county and Kagusu Village, Mukonmura and Busokwa in Karambi Sub-county.

Residents say government built shallow wells in Kagusu and Mugusu A villages in 2010 but they have since broken down. This has forced many residents to walk long distances in search of clean water in the district.

Mr Charles Bagada, a resident, says lack of safe water in Kabarole District has led to waterborne disease such as typhoid in the area.

Mr Yusuf Ayesige, a resident of Kanyamakerere Village in Busoro Sub-county, says a shallow well was built by government in 2015 but broke down after one year.

“The shallow well that was built to supply clean water stopped. We at times spend six hours in queues at a shallow well because they are not functioning properly,” Mr Ayesige says.

According to Mr Sam Cheptoris, minister of Water and Environment, “As of June, average access to safe water in rural areas was estimated at 70 per cent (which is a 3 per cent increase from 67 per cent as of June 2016).”

Corruption
Despite Uganda being signatory to Sustainable Development Goals where Goal number six is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, several people in the countryside are thirsty and sick due to lack of safe water for domestic use.

In 2015, Kabarole District paid Shs30 million for extension of gravity water to Mukonomura in Karambi Sub-county but this has not yet been achieved, according to the area councillor, Mr Joseph Mashuhuku.

On June 20, 2016, the then chief administrative officer of Kabarole District, Mr Ocakara Nicholas, said the matter was reported to police.

According to Mr Ocakara, a council meeting was convened later and recommended the refund of the money by the district water officer and the district engineer.
He said the district water officer apologised before the council.

“It is evident that the certificate raised by the district water officer and payment requests by the contractor were not reflecting the true picture on the ground and therefore are deceitful,” he said.

The district management meetings later asked the water officer with the contractor to re-do the work and extend the gravity flow scheme from Buhara to Mukonomura but this has never been done to date.

When contacted, the deputy CAO, Mr Alfred Malinga, says, “The fact is that people are complaining over lack of water. Kabarole was supposed to extend water from Buhara to Mukonomura and from Mugusu to Busokwa in the last three years. This project had many challenges and police are still investigating.”

When contacted, the criminal investigations officer, Ms Godliver Twinomugisha, said, “The complainant petitioned the Director of CID before I came here, so I don’t have the file.”

However, a survey by the Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition (RAC) early this year found that Kabarole District tops Rwenzori sub-region in corruption cases, with misappropriation of public funds being frequent.

Ms Agella Byangwa, the RAC executive director, says: “Residents in these areas, especially women in Mukonomura have complained to several times. Women walk as far as 8kms in search of water.”

Kabarole District, despite being endowed with several rivers and crater lakes, is one of the districts in the country that lack clean water.

 Kabarole at a glance

According to the National Population and Housing Census 2014, only 24, 504 households (22. 9 percent) in Kabarole district have access to piped water, while 25,314 households (23.6 percent) use bore holes.

But a recent Uganda Water Supply Atlas, on Kabarole, uploaded on October 22, shows the access rates vary from 8 percent in Kijura town council to 95 percent in Bukuuku Sub County.

Kabarole district has 1,121 domestic water points which serve a total of 247, 841 people to 171, 676 people in rural areas.

About 212 water points have been nonfunctional for over 5 years and are considered abandoned. Kabarole has 2 piped water schemes (NWSC and Gravity flow).

This atlas report gives some reasons for non-functionality of water sources in the district that include; low yield at 19 percent, technical breakdown at 67 percent, water quality 4 percent, vandalism 4 percent among others.