Prime
West Nile’s Ora River to finally prosper communities on its banks
Pascal Odoch
What you need to know:
Lucrative farming. The fertile soils deposited on the Ora River banks over the years have encouraged settlements along its streams. The government Ujigo Prisons Farm, which is located in the midst of this fertile delta turns out impressive harvests of raw cotton every agricultural season in thousands of metric tons. The lucrative farming has attracted migrant farmers from as far as upper Nebbi District Sub-county residents of Erussi and Ndhew, including Zombo District, who rent land parcels from local host population.
Water has been a leading driver in the prosperity and collapse of great civilisations as well as a source of conflict and tension in human settlements. The first great civilisations arose on the banks of large rivers - the Nile in Egypt, the Tigris-Euphrates in Mesopotamia, the Indus in Pakistan, and the Hwang Ho in China.
All these civilisations built large irrigation systems and made the land productive, but collapsed when water supplies were either disruptive (floods) or were improperly managed.
With these learning pointers, President Yoweri Museveni-led National Resistance Movement government clearly shows that it understands the river politics in development efforts for rain-fed agro-communities’ prosperity.
The perennial Ora River that snakes its way from the watershed of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo influences differently, the livelihoods and economies of Uganda’s three districts – Zombo, Nebbi and Pakwach; the River positively powers the turbines of the 3.5MW Nyagak Hydro plant in Zombo District; quietly waters the economic activities of Nebbi District; and as it enters the mighty River Nile through the Albert Nile, it seasonally disrupts with its floods, the peace and livelihood of the households on its banks in Wadelai Sub-county in Pakwach District.
The fertile soils deposited on the Ora River banks over the years have encouraged settlements along its streams. The government Ujigo Prisons Farm, which is located in the midle of this fertile delta turns out impressive harvests of raw cotton every agricultural season in thousands of metric tonnes. The lucrative farming has attracted migrant farmers from as far as upper Nebbi District residents of Erussi and Ndhew, including Zombo District, who rent land parcels from local host population.
The Red Cross and Office of the Prime Minister, are known in this fertile Wadelai confluence for their seasonal humanitarian efforts to the displaced populations on account of the disruptive River Ora’s floods.
Now, all this misery is poised to change for good thanks to government efforts through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries-led interventions. The impressive government Shs54 billion Wadelai irrigation scheme financed by the African Development Bank and Nordic Development Fund is set to reverse the negative actions of Ora River once and for all. The water canalisation scheme will constantly increase production and value chain development for priority crops. Already during its construction alone, the project is providing job opportunities for hundreds of jobs for both skilled and unskilled youth.
The well-funded and coordinated effort being implemented by M/s Coil & Nasr General Contracting Company Joint Venture, has turned a previously laid-back Ayabo Trading Centre into a serious and vibrant growth town.
The community access roads are being opened; water canals are being constructed; community mobilisation to form farmer groups and crop selection, have elevated the socio-economic outlook of the communities who have borne the brunt of the river flooding.
In the coming years, the River Delta farmers’ mobilisation effort points to bulking of crop harvests which will include the cotton crop as currently grown to scale at the Ujigo Government Prisons farm to other priority crops especially rice, soya and sesame. Also, the seasonally disruptive Ora River will forever support settlements whose livelihoods will be predictable and contribute immensely to the country’s National Vision of a transformed Uganda society from a pre-dominantly peasant Wadelai population to relatively stress-free, devoid of relief assistance, and economically prosperous lower middle income lot of Ugandans over the medium to long-term. Turning the fortunes of the flood-prone population is commendable.
Dr Odoch is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Lusaka, Zambia
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