Lango College students find relief with new water source
Students described the development as a major relief, noting that the school has struggled for years with limited water supply
LIRA, May 1, 2026 — Students at Lango College have welcomed a newly drilled borehole, provided by a charity organisation, as a solution to the school’s long-standing water shortage and a boost for irrigation.
Students described the development as a major relief, noting that the school has struggled for years with limited water supply. Due to resource constraints, the institution had been unable to meet growing demand.
Ambrose Ongom, the school’s head prefect, expressed gratitude to the partners, Show Mercy International, for the donation. He said the new borehole would ease the burden of water scarcity, as the school previously relied on a single borehole to serve more than 700 learners.
“On behalf of the students, I am very happy about this donation because we shall no longer face the crisis we experienced before. We shall use the water responsibly to improve sanitation,” Ongom said during the commissioning of the project on Saturday.
Alex Opio, a Senior One student, also praised the organisation for including Lango College among the beneficiaries. He emphasised the importance of water, saying: “Water is life, and whoever gives water gives life, as the Bible says.”
The school’s headteacher, Sam Bob Okino, said the institution had struggled for a long time with inadequate water supply and had made several unsuccessful attempts to address the challenge.
“Through God’s grace, this opportunity came at a time when the school had almost given up,” he said.
Okino explained that the borehole, which is 68 metres deep, can produce more than 60,000 litres of water daily. He added that this would improve sanitation, health and agricultural production.
“We have 30 acres of land ready for production, but previously we lacked water for irrigation, and many crops dried up,” he said.
He assured stakeholders that the school would protect and use the resource responsibly, noting that the school farm includes a tree nursery and other crops requiring a consistent water supply.
The chairperson of the Board of Governors, Bosco Otulo, said the borehole would help revive farming activities at the school and equip students with practical skills alongside classroom learning.
“Not every student will secure a white-collar job, so it is important they leave school with hands-on skills that can sustain them,” he said.
Bishop Joseph Omara, of the National Fellowship of Pentecostal Churches of Uganda and overseer of Church Revival Ministry, said the donation is part of a broader initiative that has seen 120 boreholes drilled across the Lango sub-region over the past year and two months, at a cost of about Shs3 billion.
Omara added that the organisation would continue providing water to learning institutions and communities in the region.
https://thecooperator.news/wbg-launches-initiative-to-improve-water-security-for-1-billion-people/
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