Relief as refugees, hosts get sh21b water project

REFUGEES 

ADJUMANI- Teresa Bol, 38, is one of the refugees in Ayilo II settlement, Adjumani district that walk 5km to a neighbouring settlement to collect water from a borehole.

Bol, who is also the chairperson of the refugee women in the settlement, said the exercise takes them close to three hours.

"At times we spend a week without bathing, especially when we fail to get water due to the huge crowds that gather at the community borehole," Bol said.

Ayilo II settlement chairperson for refugees John Ajing Apam said his office registers about five cases of domestic violence every week, where men beat women over delaying at water sources.

"Men often say their wives delay because they are with other men at the borehole," Apam said.

According to Apam, there are 17,000 refugees Ayilo II settlement and these live in seven blocks.

According to the Adjumani district water officer, Richard Izakare Kareode, the district water coverage stands at 68% in refugee settlements and host communities.

Relief

To ease the water stress in settlements, the water ministry, under the Water and Sanitation Development Facility North, has installed eight water systems in refugee settlements in northern Uganda.

The sh21b Support Programme for Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in Northern Uganda project has been funded through the European Union Trust Fund and the Austrian Development Cooperation is the fund manager.

The eight solar-powered water systems have been set up in Ayilo II, Alere and Nyumanzi in Adjumani district, Bidi Bidi Zone Vin Yumbe district, Omugo VI and Afua III in Terego district, Olujobo Tika in Madi Okollo district and Ranch One in Kiryandongo district.

The beneficiary districts are hosting over 514,889 refugees, mainly from South Sudan.

Under the same project, the water ministry has also constructed a faecal sludge treatment plant in Dzaipi subcounty, Adjumani district.

While handing over the water supply system in Ayilo II refugee settlement to the Umbrella of Water and Sanitation Authority for maintenance, Alfred Okidi, the Permanent Secretary in the water ministry, said their aim is to provide 145,000 people in refugee camps and host communities with water.

He said the water will be sold to the users at a low cost.

"A 20-litre jerrycan will cost sh10," he said. Officiating at the commissioning of the water supply systems, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Adjumani West, Gen.

Moses Ali, said piped water will make people more productive.

"Use the time you have been wasting on collecting water for more developmental activities," he said.

Ali also urged residents to maintain the good relationship with refugees.

"We should support the refugees to live better and comfortable lives," he added.

What they say 

Roswitha Kremser, Austrian Development Cooperation

This is a conflict prevention and community building project. I hope it benefits refugees and the host communities. The project was built with EU taxpayer funds at a cost of sh21b.

Francis Aliga, host community member, Egge village

The intervention is timely, especially during this time of COVID-19. We were struggling to access water at a time when we need to wash our hands regularly to stop the spread of the virus.

Elizabeth Abuk, Nyumanzi block refugee community

The water will help us improve our farming yields because we shall use it to water our vegetables. We will also be able to wash our clothes and improve our general hygiene.