Why residents abandoned Shs800m irrigation project

The president, during the launch, said the project was to prove the government’s commitment towards the Acholibur Cassava Project,

However, when Monitor visited the project site last week, all the sprinklers appeared invisible, swallowed by the wilderness of grasses with key plastic parts of the equipment consumed by what locals described as wildfire.

While the beneficiaries initially reaped big from the project through harvest of green pepper, cabbages, watermelon, eggplants, tomatoes and onions, and other horticultural crops, the party shortly lasted until September 2022 when the community abandoned it following an invasion of both bacterial and fungal infestation that indiscriminately destroyed crops.

Mr John Geoffrey Okello, the scheme chairperson, said after the disease invasion, they advised the Ministry of Water and Environment to conduct soil analysis. “They took some soil samples and that was the day I last saw them [government officials], until now we are still waiting for the results,” he said.

Mr Okello said they have repeatedly summoned community members for meetings to revive the project but the lack of extension service provision by both the district and sub-county leadership has worsened the problem.

He said the district and sub-county agricultural officers also visited the scheme and picked some soil samples, “but they also went mute until now.”

Because farmers were not growing any crops, Mr Okello said the management of the scheme failed to raise the budget required for the maintenance of the facility.

The lack of maintenance has also seen the solar panels and the roofs blown off by wind.
Mr David Odongkara, the chairperson Porogali Sub-county, said his office is aware of the existence of the irrigation scheme.

“The district and sub-county agriculture officers came and did soil sampling. They said the farm should be left to rest but for how long?” Mr Odongkara wondered.

Mr Saido Opoka, the district agricultural officer, said the management and responsibility to protect and provide extension services for the scheme directly rests on the Ministry of Water and Environment.

He said since its completion, the site was never handed over to Pader District and the Ministry of Water and Environment had recruited their extension worker for the scheme.

What govt says
When contacted, Ms Brenda Akao, the communication officer of Northern Umbrella of Water and Sanitation at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said: “The project is directly being managed and supervised by the Ministry of Water through us; we have a focal contact person directly responsible for irrigation who is yet to update us on the project’s status and way forward.”