Namutumba residents get piped water after 40-year wait
Residents at a water supply source in Mazuba central zone, Namutumba District on February 7, 2024. PHOTO/RONALD SEEBE
What you need to know:
- The Mazuba central zone LC1 chairman, Mr Martin Basoma, says mothers and school-going children have been trekking from Mazuba trading centre to River Mpologoma, a distance of about two miles, to fetch water.
- The extension of piped water to the locals was made possible by Food for the Hungry, an NGO operating in the district.
At least 8,000 residents across 19 villages in Mazuba sub-county, Namutumba District, are breathing a collective sigh of relief after getting clean, piped water for the first time in 44 years.
The residents have since 1980 been drawing water from River Mpologoma due to lack of boreholes in Namutumba which was still under Iganga District. This, however, exposed them to waterborne diseases like diarrhea and trachoma among others.
The Mazuba central zone LC1 chairman, Mr Martin Basoma, said mothers and school-going children have been trekking from Mazuba trading centre to River Mpologoma, a distance of about two miles, to fetch water.
Other residents, he said, have been crossing River Mpologoma to Kitantalo village in Tirinyi sub-county in search of borehole water.
“Residents of Kitantalo village have been charging Shs500 for a jerrican of borehole water, but we are happy that we are now going to buy a jerrican of piped water at Shs100,” Mr Basoma said on February 7.
The Mazuba sub-county chairperson, Mr James Mugurwa, said residents have been sharing water sources with animals.
He added: “It is true that some of our grandparents passed on without tasting borehole water, and as authorities, we are sorry for spending all those years without clean, safe water.”
Mr Tony Gonda, a resident of Kagaire village, said he has grown up seeing his parents drawing water from swamps and rivers, while Ms Sarah Nangobi, a resident of Mpologoma village, said drawing water from Mpologoma River has been “risky” and has reportedly claimed lives of “many young people” through drowning.
The extension of piped water to the locals was made possible by Food for the Hungry, an NGO operating in the district.
Mr Lastone Musonge from the organisation, asked the locals to maintain the sanitation of the area, especially those without toilets.
“As we use this water, we discourage the issue of open defecation because it will cause diarrhea and trachoma among young children and pregnant mothers,” Mr Musonge said, adding that access to clean, safe water is part of human development and a key composition of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He, however, noted that many countries in the developing world are still struggling to attain safe water.
The District Water Officer (DWO) Mr Abbey Kaggwa, said the water and environment department in the district intends to prioritise the construction of protected water sources, springs, shallow wells, boreholes, piped water supply system, communal water harvesting systems and public toilets.
He further revealed that water coverage in Namutumba District is at 65 percent and 45 percent in Mazuba sub-county, which is below the coverage level of other sub-counties in the district.
The Principal Assistant Secretary, Ms Kauma Kagere, said waterborne diseases in Mazuba sub-county will reduce as people start using clean, safe water.
The Namutumba District LC5 chairperson, Mr David Mukisa, said efforts are underway to drill boreholes in the villages of Mazuba sub-county that have not been connected to the piped water system.
“Water coverage in the district is still low because the water department receives insufficient funds to meet the high demand for water facilities,” he said.
