Minister grilled over water funds

Aug 19, 2008

LEGISLATORS have ordered finance state minister Fred Omach to explain why the Government did not allocate funds for alternative water supply in the dry areas in this year’s budget.

By Paul Kiwuuwa

LEGISLATORS have ordered finance state minister Fred Omach to explain why the Government did not allocate funds for alternative water supply in the dry areas in this year’s budget.

This followed a complaint by the water and environment minister, Maria Mutagamba, that lack of funds to provide water in the areas commonly referred to as ‘water-stressed areas’ may result into the death of people and livestock.

The areas that suffer long drought spells are the cattle corridors of Nakasongola, Rakai, Kabula, Kiruhura, Lyantonde, Kooki and Mpigi.

Others are the mountainous regions of Mt. Elgon, Mbale, Kapchorwa and Karamoja.

In northern Uganda, Kitgum, Pader, Gulu and areas near Lake Kyoga also suffer prolonged droughts.

“The funds would be used to make valley dams, install boreholes and build reservoirs in the arid areas to store water for domestic use and livestock,” said Mutagamba.

The minister, Omach and deputy secretary to the treasury Keith Muhakanizi were on Friday appearing before the natural resources committee to answer queries raised in the new budget.

The Government, said Mutagamba, allocated sh115b for the water sector in the 2007/2008 budget, but this financial year, the money was slashed to sh110b.

“We had plans to provide water in the areas but we wonder why the Government never allocated the money.”

She stressed that due to the rise in global warming, Uganda needed to build water reservoirs and valley dams for emergency use.
However, Omach said the Government did not have adequate funds for the ‘water-stressed’ areas.

“There are many priorities like the road sector, which was given sh1 trillion,” he said.

This answer flared tempers. Deputy committee head Patrick Ocheng (NRM) asked: “Is road construction and repairs more important than human life?”
The Bukooli South MP said his people trek 10 miles to Lake Kyoga to fetch water.

“People who draw water from lakes risk contracting water-borne diseases like bilharzia and could be killed by crocodiles,” said Ocheng.
The Korean government, said Mutagamba, had given her ministry an excavator to construct valley tanks but the machine was yet to be handed over to the ministry.
Muhakanizi said the Government had constructed boreholes in some areas but the underground rocks produced salty water, which was not fit for human consumption.

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