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Water scarcity hits Ntoroko
Desperate. Residents of Kanara town council line up to fetch water at one of the shallow wells in the area last week. PHOTO BY ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- Location. Ntoroko District is located west of the Rwenzori Mountains. It was carved out of Bundibugyo District in 2010. The district is always hit by floods to the extent of cutting off some areas while in dry seasons, the area is hit by drought.
- District budget. According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the floods have stretched the district budget and resources by increasing the cost of containing malaria especially among the children and malaria drugs run out of stock.
- Erosion. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Semuliki catchment is under a lot of pressure due to increasing population. Deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing is leading to widespread erosion.
For the last three years, Mr Danson Akampura, 35, has lived in Kisenyi A Village in Kanara Town Council, Ntoroko District. He treks about two kilometres in search of safe water.
Mr Akampura says the only available source of water in Kisenyi Village is the shallow well built in Kanara Town Council at Kasenyi Landing Site on the shores of Lake Albert.
He says though it was built by government 10 years ago, everyone has to pay Shs500 for a 20-litre jerrycan of water which some find expensive.
They hence end up fetching the unsafe lake water for domestic use.
“In our village, there are only two shallow wells but one is non-functional and up to now, it is not repaired. We crowd ourselves at one which is functional from morning to evening, while others fetch their water from Albert shores,” Mr Akampura says.
He says their village being near Semuliki National Park, people and wild animals such as elephants share the lake waters while others use River Muzizi.
Mr James Balikigamba, the Kisenyi B Village chairperson, says in his area, more than 323 people trek long distances for water from one shallow spring in Kanara Town.
Mr Balikigamba says some use motorcycles to fetch water while others use wheelbarrows which he says is expensive for the locals.
“Our neighbouring villages such as Kigugu, Rwenyangi and Ntoroko north use one water source. Remember, people come here at 6am from far distances and yet they have other duties to perform such as fishing and farming to earn a living,” Mr Balikigamba says.
Ms Fatima Mbabazi, who sells water at one of the shallow wells in Kanara Town Council says people line up very early with their jericans to get water and that in a day, she earns more than Shs50,000.
“At times I have no time to go for lunch because people crowd at this well and come from far away for water and this place is very hot,” Ms Mbabazi says.
Beyond repair
Mr David Kor, the chairperson of Kanara Town Council, says out of 12 shallow wells that were constructed 10 years ago in the area, only six are functioning while others were broken beyond repair.
“In some villages where we managed to install water management committees to maintain water sources, some have failed to repair them. We need government to intervene,” Mr Kor says.
Ntoroko District is still waiting for the fulfilment of the Shs82 billion water project that was pledged by President Museveni in 2011 presidential campaigns.
According to plan, the project was to start from River Muzizi to serve the entire district.
Despite Uganda being signatory to Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal number six emphasises availability of clean water and sanitation for all, several villages in the country are still not served.
The most affected villages in the district include; Ntoroko north A, Ntoroko south A, Mid-west and Kanyasi.
Way forward
When asked whether there are any government interventions to end water scarcity in the district, the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Wilson Isingoma, said: “Of course there is a major programme by government through the Ministry of Water and Environment. The two to three year Shs83 billion project has already started at Karugutu and it will tap [water] from rivers Wanka and Wasa for the gravity flow scheme.”
Also, Mr Robert Musiguzi, the district water engineer said: “The Shs83 billion water project in Ntoroko District will last for four years. It will be constructed in two phases, the first phase will take Shs25 billion while the second will cost Shs58 billion.”
The national population and housing census 2014 shows that 42.8 per cent households in Ntoroko District get drinking water from unsafe sources.
The latest Uganda water supply Atlas report by the Ministry of Water and Environment indicates that the access rates in Ntoroko District vary from 35 per cent in Kanara Town Council to 95 per cent in Rwebisengo Town Council.
The district has 386 domestic water points which serve a total of 55,000 people where 38,629 are in rural areas.
Of the 386 domestic water points, 108 are non-functional for over five years.
The national service delivery survey 2015 shows that the long distance to safe water sources in Ntoroko is at 41 per cent and the unreliability of the safe water points 20 per cent.
This is mainly due to breakdowns and low water pressure as the main constraints hindering the use of safe water sources.
The functionality of water sources in rural area is at 68 per cent while in urban area is at 81 per cent and most affected sub counties with less functional water sources in Ntoroko include; Butungama, Kanara and Karugutu.
Location. Ntoroko District is located west of the Rwenzori Mountains. It was carved out of Bundibugyo District in 2010. The district is always hit by floods to the extent of cutting off some areas while in dry seasons, the area is hit by drought.
District budget. According to the district chairman, Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the floods have stretched the district budget and resources by increasing the cost of containing malaria especially among the children and malaria drugs run out of stock.
Erosion. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Semuliki catchment is under a lot of pressure due to increasing population. Deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing is leading to widespread erosion.
