Boreholes commissioned in Moroto to improve access to water

Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Moroto district local government has handed over five hand-pump boreholes to the communities to address water scarcity and access to clean water.

The new boreholes were handed over to the communities in the villages of Ariu, Lokitela Kepopong and Nakonyen under Tapac Sub County, Lokwakwa village in Loputuk Sub County, and Lokiloro Seed School in Katikekile Sub County.

Alfred Lokiru, a resident of Ariu village, said that they have never used a borehole and their entire life has been on sharing water from the river with the animals.

Lokiru said that the dirty water has often exposed them to waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, cough and skin rashes because of sharing dirty water sources with animals.

He said that when the rivers dry up, they have to dig holes using their hands in the sand at the riverbed to get the water.

Maria Aleper, a resident of Loputuk trading centre, lauded the government for bringing clean water to the community.   Aleper revealed that they used to trek over 7 kilometres to the nearby village to access clean water. She added that during the dry season, the same borehole is shared with livestock, and the water could get contaminated.

‘’There are women who have suffered domestic violence because of water scarcity, some of them are beaten when they go to the borehole and delayed because of the long queue, our men think we go to the borehole for other missions,’’ Aleper stressed.

Aleper noted that the new borehole they have acquired is going to help them fight malnutrition since they will be able to grow their green vegetables around the borehole. She added that they shall establish a water user committee that will ensure that the borehole is well-maintained.

Cosmas Ayepa, the Moroto District Secretary for Social Services, observed that the clean water coverage is getting better, and they are now looking forward to improving the water for production as well to help the community embark on food production.

Ayepa said that the water project has helped to alleviate the suffering of the communities who recently settled after a long disturbance of insecurity. He also observed that other communities still have access to clean water, and the district is planning to fix this in the next financial year.

Ayepa urged the community to protect the boreholes by establishing a committee that will be trained on the basics of maintenance.

Samuel Lokong, the Principal Assistant Secretary of Moroto District, said that the water project for drilling and installation was earmarked for the financial years 2024, 2025.

Lokong explained that the water situation in the district is at 78% water coverage, and they still have some pockets of the communities that do not have access to safe and clean water.  He said that the district has been riddled by insecurity, and the communities kept migrating to different places, making it difficult for the government to deliver services to them.

Lokong noted that they are now tracing the communities that have settled and finding ways of supporting them by providing access to clean water, among other services.

Musa Lowot, the Moroto District Water Officer, said that they were only allocated 145 million shillings for the drilling and installation of the five boreholes, but the costs exceeded 134 million shillings.

Lowot said that each borehole costs between 25 and 27 million shillings as a whole sum contract, not including a site survey, construction of the cattle trough and the fencing.

Lowot expressed concerns over the low budget allocated to them for water projects. He noted that this has always made it difficult for them to cover the entire district or areas where there is a need for water expansion.

Justine Samuel Tuko, the Moroto Deputy Resident District Commissioner, said that the provision of the boreholes is a significant step to improve access to clean water coverage in the district.

Tuko said that their decision to prioritise access to clean water over other services was derived after they realised the communities were in dire need of clean water.

He now urged the communities to start planting vegetables around and use borehole water for irrigation to address the challenge of food insecurity and boost the diet in the households.

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