Govt rolls out plan to restore water sources

On Saturday women and girls with jerricans flocked the banks of River Lwakhakha in Lwakhakha Town Council, Namisindwa District, to fetch water for domestic use. Some of them had travelled from as far as Bumbo, Bukiabi, Bukokho, Namboko, Namitsa, and Bupoto sub-counties to access water.

They say streams where they used to get water have dried up.  
A walk on the river banks also reveals a lot of environmental degradation as a result of human activities. There is rampant loss of forest cover due to deforestation and formation of deep gullies about 20 feet as a result of soil erosion.  

This has been exacerbated by poor farming methods and climate change effects.

Degradation
Ms Janet Namutosi, a resident of Soono Village in Bumbo Sub-county, says they are feeling the pain of environmental degradation.

“The water levels have drastically gone down on River Lwakhakha,” Ms Janet Namutosi says.
Mr Robert Mwesame, a resident of Mulandi Village in Bumbo Sub-county, says the deep gullies are a threat to life.

“We ask the government to intervene and fill them,” he says.
Mr Jackson Wakwaika, the chairperson of Namisindwa, said: “The local communities are paying the price because most streams dry up when the dry spell hits.” 

Ms Sarah Bisikwa, the natural resources officer, says: “We are experiencing a high occurrence of climate-related challenges in this catchment area, which require urgent intervention.’’ 

Intervention

Mr John Musila, the MP for Bubulo East in Namisindwa, who also doubles as the chairperson of Mpologoma catchment management committee, says the government will embark on a two-year restoration programme for the Lwakhakha area.

The activities will include riverbank restoration, soil and water conservation, tree planting, gully restoration and the promotion of alternative income generating activities.

“The interventions will see, among other things, restoring gullies, which are as deep as 20 feet to control soil erosion and improve livelihood for the beneficiaries,” he said.

Mr Musila made the remarks during a meeting held to support communities to implement priority catchment management measures for Lwakhakha area in Tororo town at the weekend.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment with funding from the World Bank worth Shs3.5 billion under Integrated Water Management and Development Project.

Mr Maximo Twinomuhangi, the team leader of the Kyoga Water Management Zone at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said the catchment area faces numerous challenges, including landslides, floods, massive river bank degradation, tree cutting, and wetland degradation.

Mr Twinomuhangi said the project will ensure the affected areas are restored to their original state of ecosystem functionality.
“We will put soil in gullies and plant trees,’’ he said.