'Manage water well to survive during drought'

By Stella Naigino        

An official in the ministry of water and environment has called on locals to manage well water resources if they are to survive during periods of drought.

With uncertain climate times ahead, Leodinous Mwebaza, who is in-charge of water resource management at the ministry, called for better water management.

“With the high levels of population growth with increased economic activity around fresh waters, there is need for better water management if we are to respond to climatic changes,” he said.

This was during an Inter-governmental Authority Development (IGAD) training on integrated water resources at Esella Country Resort.

Ugandans have been told that if they manage well water resources now, they will be preparing well for times of scarcity ahead.
 

From left, JESE's Jude Twesigye, JESE's communications officer Suzan Atuhura and Judith Orishaba from the directorate of water resource management  during the training. (Photo credit: Wilfred Sanya)

According to Mwebaza, good management systems allow for vigilance and incentives to be passed on to water users.

He said prior planning allows for risk identification and mitigation as a remedy for drought, adding that fresh water sources are a finite and vulnerable resource yet they are essential to sustain life, development and environment.

Suzan Atuhura, the communications officer of Joint Effort to Save the Environment (JESE) – a nonprofit service organization – said that currently the southern parts of Uganda have more water compared to the northern parts of the country.

“That’s why we have embarked on a training program to train the people from the local areas faced by water problems so that they do not encroach on the fresh waters,” she said.

“Encroachment on fresh waters leads to water contamination, making the waters not good for human consumption.”

The trainers, she said, will go on the ground to find out the problems faced by the people in the catchments areas “so voices are integrated and we come up with workable solutions”.