Obongi district: Access to safe and clean water still low

OBONGI: At least more than 70,000 people in refugee settlements and host communities in Obongi district do not have access to clean and safe water.

According to the district water officer, Dominic Iranya, only 58 percent of the total population in Obongi have access to clean and safe drinking water which is below the national average of 75 percent.

According to him, 42 percent of the people in the district still drink water from unsafe sources such as River Nile and other small streams.

Iranya said, “We still have a lot to do in order to improve access to clean and safe water for the refugees and host communities.”

Iranya further said despite the low access to clean water, functionality of water points in the district has increased from 56 percent in 2019 to now 85 percent in 2023, adding that out of the 346 boreholes, 272 of the boreholes are functional, and out of the 32 piped water points 32 are functional.

He noted that the worst hit sub-counties in terms of inaccessibility to clean and save water are Gimara [46 percent] followed by Obongi Town Council [49 percent].

He said Palorinya Refugee Settlement settlement has 148 boreholes but only 132 are working, adding that 16 piped water points are all functional.

What the locals said

Aisha Abau, a woman in Obongi Town Council said they have been depending on water from the river.

“We are tired of drinking this dirty water. We often fall sick and spend more money to treat ourselves, I appeal to the authorities to come to our rescue,” Abau said.

Majuma Kasara Yusuf also a resident of Obongi Town Council said, “We are overburdened, we fetch the Nile for all our needs. If I need clean water, I must move 5kilometer and fetch 4jerricans that can keep my family for two days.”

Our children are exposed to so many waterborne diseases but we cannot do much. We appeal to the district to give us sources of clean and safe water.

Anthony Moga, a refugee from Palorinya Refugee Settlement explained that on average women spend 4-6 hours accessing clean and safe water in the settlement.

He said “The most affected zones are Zone 3, and Zone 2, in those zones at some water points after filling 20 jerrycans of water, the boreholes get dry.”

Added that the supply of water in the refugee settlement is inadequate, saying this has forced some learners to drop out of school going age since most parents prefer to send them to water points.

Intervention

Iranya said Obongi Town Council which is the second least served has only three water points and now the Ministry of Water and Environment has earmarked Shs 6 billion to improve water infrastructure.

“We have finished the presentation of designs, we are now at the procurement stage and this project is targeting the first 600 households including parts of Aliba and Gimara,” he said.

He also said six boreholes will be drilled this month in the sub-counties of Gimara, Ewafa, and Itula Sub-county while six boreholes will also be rehabilitated.

https://thecooperator.news/gulu-city-residents-to-have-regular-water-supply/

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