Lamwo Officials hand over contract document for construction of a shs360m borehole to Kilipi Ltd at Potika Subcounty in Lamwo District. Photos by Brian Komakech.
By Brian Komakech
Lamwo: The Ministry of Water and Environment has allocated Shs982m for installing clean tap and borehole water in Potika Sub-county in Lamwo District.
The fund allocated under the District Water and Sanitation Conditional Grant (UGIFT) targets four rural villages where access to clean water has been a challenge for years.
Shs622m has been earmarked for a tap water project covering villages; Penybuk, and Moroto East, and shs360m is for borehole construction in Moroto West and Moroto Central villages, all in Pawach Parish, according to district officials.
60,000 liters of water per day
Arafat Namasa, the site engineer at Alison Consult Ltd, said the water project will deliver approximately 60,000 liters of water through the tap to Pawach Health Center II, the community, and Pawach Primary School.
Namasa said that they will soon request part payment as the fabrication of materials such as tanks and their stands is ongoing in Kampala, as well as mobilization of the panels.
“The moment that money is paid, we shall deliver all the materials on site which will enable us to finish the work within the shortest time possible.”
The contractor has already sunk two underground boreholes, installed solar-powered motorized water pumps, and constructed a storehouse.
Namasa, however, although the water project is largely free for the community, a small sum of money will be levied per user, to facilitate its maintenance.
Construction works are expected to end on June 30, 2024, according to the firm establishing the tap water project.
Persistent water scarcity
John Oriba, the LCIII Chairperson of Potika Sub-county, told GNNA in an interview that this is timely because four villages have been experiencing severe water scarcity, forcing many to move far distances searching for safe water.
Water scarcity, according to Oriba, is more pronounced during the dry season affecting three other villages: Penybuk East, Oboko, and Olima.
Oriba appealed to the government to add more money, saying the funds allocated could not solve the water problem in the three villages.
“We have a very big problem with water which this project alone cannot solve. We have left out around three other villages with similar problems of water shortages,” Oriba said.
Currently, community members are reportedly using boreholes that are unreliable while others depend on unsafe spring wells.
6,000 to benefit from water projects
District officials estimate that 6,000 people in the four villages, mainly doing crop and animal husbandry, will benefit from the two water projects.
In Moroto West and Moroto Central villages, a borehole water project worth shs 360m is underway. The contractor was awarded a six-month contract period.
Bernard Ocen, the site engineer at Kilipi Ltd, the construction firm undertaking the project, pledged to complete the task within the specified contract timeline.
“Before June 30, we would be over 90 percent done with our construction work,” Ocen said.
Locals welcome water projects
Michael Ocana, a livestock keeper in Moroto West Village, said their biggest challenge is access to clean water, and hopes the establishment of the borehole in their community will reduce the risk of waterborne disease transmission.
“Our biggest challenge here is access to clean water. My family has had to battle waterborne diseases several times because the water source is not safe,” said Ocana.
Lucy Lakot, 64, a resident of Penybuk East Village noted that the borehole in their village is tough and cannot be operated by elderly persons like her to access clean water easily.
Lakot also appealed to the local authorities to levy a user fee which is affordable for tap water users.
Lamwo Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Osborn Geoffrey Oceng, asked the contractors for both projects to expedite works.
Safe water coverage in Lamwo
Access to safe water in Lamwo District stands at 95 percent in the 11 sub-counties; Padibe East, Padibe West, Lamwo Town Council, Paloga, Agoro, Madi-Opei, Palabek Ogili, Palabek Gem, Palabek Kal, Lokung and Palabek Ogili, according to January 2024 statistics from the Ministry of Water and Environment.
Functionality of water sources in rural areas stands at 73%, while in urban areas it stands at 67% with Agoro Sub-county having only 59%, according to the report.
Statistics from the district water department indicate that out of the 1,010 domestic water points serving more than 123,000 people in rural areas, 277 water points have been non-functional for the past five years and are abandoned.
Grace Acayo, Lamwo District Water Officer, is optimistic that the government’s intervention will gradually increase access to safe water in the district.
