Amudat residents drink dirty water, say leaders

Happy. Residents receive one of the boreholes drilled by Lodoi Development Foundation in Karita Sub-county in Amudat District on March 10, 2018. PHOTO BY MUDANGHA KOLYANGHA

What you need to know:

  • The Karita Sub-county councillor, Mr Joshua Lokapel, said if the problem is not resolved, more people will die from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea due to drinking contaminated water.
  • The Lodoi Development Foundation director, Dr Patrick Mutono, said the organisation with support from Rockddle, Texas and USA Christians has drilled more than 14 boreholes and protected 585 wells at a cost of $1m (about Shs3.6b) in the last 10 years, more needs to be done.

Leaders in Amudat District have decried lack of access to clean water in the district, saying residents have resorted to drinking dirty water from man-made ditches.
The district chairperson, Mr Francis Kiyongo, said this during the commissioning of boreholes at Katikomor and Riatum Villages in Karita Sub-county at the weekend.

The boreholes were drilled by Lodoi Development Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, to improve access to safe water, which has remained a big challenge in the district and Karamoja Sub-region.
Mr Kiyongo said water coverage in the district stands at 60 per cent below the national average of 65 per cent.
“Although, we have made several interventions under the water and sanitation programme, they are being hampered by the topography of the area,” he said.

He said the most affected sub-counties are Karita and Amudat.
“Boreholes were drilled in these sub-counties but because of the nature of the area, water quickly dried up making residents to walk several kilometers for water,” he said.
The Karita Sub-county councillor, Mr Joshua Lokapel, said if the problem is not resolved, more people will die from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea due to drinking contaminated water.

The Lodoi Development Foundation director, Dr Patrick Mutono, said the organisation with support from Rockddle, Texas and USA Christians has drilled more than 14 boreholes and protected 585 wells at a cost of $1m (about Shs3.6b) in the last 10 years, more needs to be done.
“There is absolute lack of water and more worse during the dry spell that pushes locals to trek miles together with their animals in search of water,” Dr Mutono said.
The situation is not so good but with the intervention of development partners, we will address their concerns,” he added.