Water shortage hits Bukwo
Feb 10, 2010
<b>By F. Womakuyu</b><br><br>As the blazing sun stretches over Mt. Elgon in Bukwo district, 35-year-old Isaac Nambago, staggers out of his bed to yet another long day of life-without-water.
By F. Womakuyu
As the blazing sun stretches over Mt. Elgon in Bukwo district, 35-year-old Isaac Nambago, staggers out of his bed to yet another long day of life-without-water.
“We have not had water for six months. We have nothing to drink or bathe,†he says with dismay as he quickly leads his donkeys to Bukwo river, the only water source in the area, which experts argue is responsible for the increasing waterborne diseases in the entire district.
Martin Baraza, a senior clinical officer at Bukwo Health Centre IV, says over 70 people have died and over 10,000 have been admitted with typhoid and cholera since August 2009.
Baraza says unless safe water and proper sanitation are provided, the problem will not be solved.
“We have embarked on a sensitisation campaign to encourage people to drink boiled water, wash hands after visiting the toilet and to construct toilets. But the biggest challenge is the shortage of safe water and lack of toilets,†he says.
High population
According to Solomon Chelangat, the Bukwo district water engineer, safe water coverage in the district stands at only 49%.
“Last year, prolonged drought left most of the water sources dry,†he says.
He says part of the problem is the increase in the population from 70,000 people in the 2002, to over 140,000.
Moses Cherotic, an environmental activist in Kapchorwa, says over 45% of the wetlands in the district have been encroached on, with people cultivating and cutting down trees for fuel.
Cherotic says only 79% of these people have proper sanitation or toilets.
“They are settling along the river banks and yet they don’t have toilets. They defecate in the water or construct latrines along the banks.â€
Nambago, a resident of Bukwo says he has to travel over 21km everyday in search for water.
“They have to walk that distance carrying water on their heads and backs. The Government should set up a piped water system in the district. The district water office is inefficient. They do not care,†he says.
But Chelangat, the water engineer, says the district receives sh472m for the water sector. He says the sector needs over sh4b to be able to provide ideal water supply to the people.
The Government, has promised to set up a gravity water project worth sh5b.
As the blazing sun stretches over Mt. Elgon in Bukwo district, 35-year-old Isaac Nambago, staggers out of his bed to yet another long day of life-without-water.
“We have not had water for six months. We have nothing to drink or bathe,†he says with dismay as he quickly leads his donkeys to Bukwo river, the only water source in the area, which experts argue is responsible for the increasing waterborne diseases in the entire district.
Martin Baraza, a senior clinical officer at Bukwo Health Centre IV, says over 70 people have died and over 10,000 have been admitted with typhoid and cholera since August 2009.
Baraza says unless safe water and proper sanitation are provided, the problem will not be solved.
“We have embarked on a sensitisation campaign to encourage people to drink boiled water, wash hands after visiting the toilet and to construct toilets. But the biggest challenge is the shortage of safe water and lack of toilets,†he says.
High population
According to Solomon Chelangat, the Bukwo district water engineer, safe water coverage in the district stands at only 49%.
“Last year, prolonged drought left most of the water sources dry,†he says.
He says part of the problem is the increase in the population from 70,000 people in the 2002, to over 140,000.
Moses Cherotic, an environmental activist in Kapchorwa, says over 45% of the wetlands in the district have been encroached on, with people cultivating and cutting down trees for fuel.
Cherotic says only 79% of these people have proper sanitation or toilets.
“They are settling along the river banks and yet they don’t have toilets. They defecate in the water or construct latrines along the banks.â€
Nambago, a resident of Bukwo says he has to travel over 21km everyday in search for water.
“They have to walk that distance carrying water on their heads and backs. The Government should set up a piped water system in the district. The district water office is inefficient. They do not care,†he says.
But Chelangat, the water engineer, says the district receives sh472m for the water sector. He says the sector needs over sh4b to be able to provide ideal water supply to the people.
The Government, has promised to set up a gravity water project worth sh5b.