Agago gets sh500m water project

Agago, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Over 3,000 residents in Agago are excited over a 500-million Shillings water project.

The project to be funded by the Lutheran World Federation- LWF in partnership with Agago District Local Government, is aimed at drilling 13 and repairing 44 boreholes in eight sub-counties in Agago in the financial year 2023/2024.

The sub-counties to benefit from the water project are; Parabongo, Lapono, patongo, Kuywee, Lukole, Lira kato, Wol and Kotomor.

Margaret Alimo, a resident of Lokatiyo Village in Kuywee sub-County is hopeful that the water project will solve the water scarcity they have been facing for years.

According to Alimo, women have the option of either walking 6 kilometers to look for clean water, or fetching water from swamps if it does not rain.

Alimo says the situation forces learners to go to school without taking a bath because of water shortage.

Michael Opoka, LCI Lela Kabala Central in Kuywee sub-county says the village has 28 households with 159 people, that rely on a far stream which is two and half kilometers far.

Opoka reveals that since he was born he has never used borehole water, and they always face water from swamps which they share with domestic animals.

Pamela Akur, the councilor of Paimol Sub-county and member of the technical services committee in Agago district, warned the water users against neglecting the water sources and advised them to devise means of raising funds for repairs in case of breakdowns.

During the groundbreaking ceremony which took place at Lela Kabala Central village, in Kuywee Sub County, Ben Ocan the chairperson LCIII , said 40 out of the 81 villages in the sub-county are without clean water, while 14 boreholes require rehabilitation.

Morris Ocana, the secretary of works and technical services says Kuywee is one of the sub-counties is a huge water problem, and each year they have been lobbying for at least a water source for the sub-county.

Ocana says following their plea, the sub-county will get three new boreholes with funding from LWF and another from the district.

Emmanuel Oroma, the district water officer says there are many villages without water in the district.

Oroma asked the LCI, and the LCIII Chairpersons whose villages lack water sources, to write a letter to the water officer requesting for the provision so that their request is taken through the necessary steps before approval.

Oroma informed the water users that when drilling or repair is complete, the users are required to fence off the area before it is commissioned, as part of the water protection measures.

The contract for drilling the 13 boreholes has been given to Jeera Technical Services while Agago District Hand Pump Mechanics, and Adira Company will repair 44 water points.

Richard Oloya Akena, the Water and Sanitation Officer at LWF, appealed to the contractors to do quality work that is commensurate with the amount of money injected, so that the water sources last at least five years without breaking down.

Data on the Ministry of Water and Environment website indicates that the district has water access of 95 percent and that 18 water points have been non-functional for more than 5 years and are considered abandoned, implying that the functionality of the water points is at 77 percent in the rural areas.

However, a 2022 report by SDG WASH, shows that there are only 1,372 domestic water pints serving 246,034 people, putting the water coverage in the district at only 62 percent.

The same report shows that at least 318 of these boreholes have been non-functional for the last five years.

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