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ARUA - West Nile leaders are worried over the safety of the water bodies in the region. The worry follows revelations by the water ministry that major water sources in the region are unsafe.

According to statistics presented by Richard Musota, the team leader Upper Nile Water Management Zone in the ministry, of the available major water sources in the region mainly boreholes, springs, dug wells and rainwater, 47 per cent are polluted and, therefore, unsafe for domestic use.

Musota was presenting the state of water coverage during the Regional Dialogue on access to clean water for domestic and production use in the West Nile region. The event was organised by Action Aid International Uganda in Arua district on Thursday.

Cause of pollution 

He Attributes safety concerns at water sources to congested settlement patterns in refugee settlements and urban centres, poor sanitation facilities and waste disposal, open defecation among others.

“This means that most of the water facilities in the region are dirty and it could be due to congestions in settlements, especially refugee host districts. This could also mean that the people are not exercising sanitation in and around the water sources,” Musota said.

11 million Ugandans missing out on safe water

According to Action aid International Uganda national project co-ordinator Emmanuel Wafula, even though water is a pivot to a number of things in life, 11 million people in the country do not have access to safe and clean water.

“Water is a determinant for sanitation, health and poverty, especially in the current worsening climatic conditions for us to be able to change and we also told that, out of the 45 million people,11 million are staying without access to clean water in the country. So, this engagement needed to be held yesterday because we are already late,” Wafula said.

Safe water is expensive

Maracha district chairperson Stephen Obitre regretted the struggles of the community members to access water sources which he blamed on exorbitant charges levied on water supplied by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation.

Arua district chairperson Alfred Okounzi attributed the dirty water sources to unfriendly human practices such as open defecation near the water sources.

He said the only way to control water pollution is through enforcement of the laws regarding sanitation at water sources and controlling open defecation.

Jacky Binen, the co-ordinator parliamentary forum on water, sanitation and hygiene says accessibility to safe and clean water is still a challenge in the region which has affected a lot of lives health-wise.

“Yes, we can say the water is there, but what is the quality, whereas we say leave nobody behind, we need to do things which are standardised because we are losing a lot of lives to dirty water and this affects the national economy, we do not only need water but quality water,” Binen said

Bad habits frustrating efforts

National Water and Sewerage Corporation deputy director Eng. Johnson Amayo argued that despite their efforts to ensure that quality water is supplied to the community, poor hygienic practices and open defecation continue to frustrate their interventions.

“On the issue of cost, we always give out water at shillings 25 per jerrycan but the suppliers of water at community stands keep charging highly like between shillings 200 and 500, which cannot be blamed on the corporation,” Amayo said.

Obongi County Member of Parliament George Didi Bhoka challenged the district leaders in the region, through the West Nile Development Association, to form the West Nile water forum to discuss water-related issues in the region.

“We must be able to leverage resources to ensure that, every quarter and year, we have annual water review week and the water issues paper should be updated and presented to the parliament and cabinet for consideration,” Bhoka said.