Relief as clean safe water flows in Moyo
Children fetch water from a tap at Celecele Cell in Moyo Town Council last Thursday. PHOTO/BILL OKETCH
The construction of Moyo Town Council piped water supply system and sanitation facilities worth Shs6.4 billion is making an immediate impact, Daily Monitor has leant.
The excitement that coursed through several cells as clean safe water started flowing in Moyo Town Council last week was proof enough that people’s lives were changing for the better.
In the past, residents used to suffer water shortages due to inadequate infrastructure, rapid population growth and the inflow of refugees, according to local leaders.
Moyo Town Council, with a population of 10,500 people, relied mainly on an old piped water system designed for about 500 people, Ms Vivien Chota, the town clerk, said.
“Five years back, if anybody told any citizen of Moyo Town Council that we are going to have reliable safe clean water in everybody’s compound, it would be like a joke,” Ms Chota said.
“Nobody expected this to be possible, especially during the dry season. The stress was too much, you would find that by 5am in the morning, boreholes would be lined up with people struggling to access water,” she added.
Ms Atimako’s neighbour, Ms Alma Endreo, said: “Households, especially the women, used to spend half of their time looking for water and that would hinder them from engaging in other productive activities.”
In Moyo, people are mostly engaged in farming and business.
“Children used to go to school late because their mothers first have to go to look for water early in the morning before preparing food for them,” Ms Beatrice Alemaro, a resident, said.
Mr Francis Vundru of Celecele Cell, said: “Of course there are certain places that used to access water, but it wasn’t reliable and we were not even sure of its safety.”
Residents and authorities made the remarks during the final technical inspection and hand over of Moyo Town water supply system on Thursday.
“We now have safe and reliable water. We are grateful to the government and of course the German government through KfW who are the funders for the project,” the town clerk said.
At least 28,500 people in Moyo Town Council and some rural areas in the district are set to benefit from the project. The Moyo Town Council piped water supply system and sanitation facilities was funded by the German government through KFW and the government of Uganda.
The project, which ran for 12 months, was implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment through Water and Sanitation Development Facility – North (WSDF-N).
Mr Richard Matua, the assistant commissioner for Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Department at the Ministry of Water and Environment, said: “So far more than 900 connections have been made under this brand new water supply system.”
Mr Patrick Olila, Moyo chief administrative officer, said the local administration shall guard the facility and ensure it serves its purpose
Mr Christopher Ochwo, the area manager of National Water and Sewerage Corporation, said: “I would like to pledge that as our vision is – to be the leading water utility in the world, we pledge that we are going to aim for world class service.”
