Shs14b project to improve access to safe water in Dokolo
Ministry of Water and Environment officials hand over a water facility to Dokolo leaders last Wednesday. PHOTO / BILL OKETCH
What you need to know:
- The Dokolo Water Supply and Sanitation Project, funded by the African Development Bank and the government, will address water shortage in Dokolo town council, Adwoki and Iguli trading centres, Agwata and Amwoma sub-counties.
At least 68 villages in Dokolo are set to benefit from a Shs14b project aimed at improving access to safe water in the district.
The Dokolo Water Supply and Sanitation Project, funded by the African Development Bank and the government, will address water shortage in Dokolo town council, Adwoki and Iguli trading centres, Agwata and Amwoma sub-counties.
The project, whose implementation started on August 3, 2020 until November 2 last year, was handed over to National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) for operation and maintenance last Wednesday.
Mr Quinto Opio, the district water officer, thanked the government for the development.
“The rural coverage was slightly higher at 90 per cent but we had challenges in urban settings, where the coverage was a bit low, at 80 per cent. With the extension that has already been made in this area, we shall have enough water being supplied to residents of Dokolo, Adwoki, Iguli and Amwoma,” he said.
He said before this intervention, residents were only relying on boreholes, wells, and springs.
Mr Mbooge Isa, the chief administrative officer, said the project will also reduce the distance residents have been walking in search for water.
“People were walking as much as 10 kilometres, then we said let us reduce it to five kilometres, but it was still long for a rural woman,” he said.
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Ms Judith Sokoto Abonyo, the manager of NWSC Dokolo branch, said they are now able to supply water to the town’s outskirts.
“We hope that with this project, we shall be in position to cover 100 percent of the town. So, I thank the government because the challenges will eventually end, and as National Water, we are going to do a lot of extension to ensure that most of the areas are covered,” she said.
The NWSC Lira area manager, Mr Gerazio Tukahirwa, said his team will ensure the water reaches everywhere.
“The production at the treatment plant at Kachung is 12 million litres per day. I get 4 million litres per day for Dokolo and then I get 8 million litres of water for Lira and Amach,” Mr Tukahirwa said.
He added: “We have the projects that are going on and one year from now, we shall have an additional 7 million litres of water added to our current production. So, I want to assure you that the problem of water will not be there.”
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Mr Felix Twinomucunguzi, the assistant commissioner for Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Department at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said: “Every household within the urban areas will be able to access water within 200 metres. We want 100 percent coverage in urban areas, and we are working very hard towards that.”
