Local leaders in Ngenge and Sundet Sub counties in Kween district have asked the government to put up more boreholes to curb the water crisis that occurs between November and February annually.
This follows a reduction of the water volume in Ngenge and Sundet rivers, which are the main Water sources for both domestic use and farming in the two sub-counties situated in the lower belt of Kween district.
Abdu Chesang, the LC 3 Chairperson of Ngenge Sub-county, says that the water crisis in the dry spell comes with a lot of threats like water born diseases, and livestock deaths. According to Chesang, Ngenge Sub County has three boreholes serving over 8000 people.
“The available boreholes cannot serve such a huge number of people and this calls for the district water department to take the concern with seriousness,” Chesang told URN in Kween. Betty Chekwoti, a resident of Soi Village in Ngenge Sub-county, says that they share unprotected water sources with domestic animals, which is unhealthy.
Chekwoti told Uganda Radio Network that the search for water during the dry season is worrying because the only source for that time is river Ngenge, which almost dries.
“Government should step in early before the crisis hit us again,” she said. Franco Chelibei, another resident says the deficiency in water also affects health services at Ngenge Health Center III for patients who can’t access water at the facility.
“Sometimes the Medical workers tell patients to move with little water in bottles to help them take medicine,” said Chelibei. In Sundet Sub County, there are three boreholes, and some families can’t access them due long distance to the available boreholes.
Denis Soyet, the Sundet Sub County LC 3 Chairperson, says that the irrigation scheme at the nearby Ngenge sub county only benefits a few people. He explains that the little water it harbors during the dry season is drained.
“We’ve raised the same appeal to the district in several engagements and they promise to solve the water challenge, but they have taken long to respond,” said Soyet.
John Twoyem, the Kween District Water Engineer attributes the water crisis in the lower belts to residents from the upper sub-counties of Benet, Kaproron, Kaseko, and Kitowoi who, divert water to their gardens for irrigation thereby reducing the water volume of the two rivers.
He says that the district has a plan to install three boreholes annually for a period of five years to curb the water crisis in the two sub-counties. “Every financial year we shall be constructing five boreholes until we fill up the water gap,” he said.
-URN
