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Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Namokora Sub County in Kitgum district are battling a spike in waterborne diseases such as bilharzia, diarrhea, typhoid, and dysentery due to the shortage of clean water in the area.
The more than 1,300 residents in Nyapea ‘’B’’ and Luguruc villages say that they suffering due to the consumption of unclean water following the breakdown of the only two boreholes in the area over two years ago.
David Otema, the Nyapea ‘’B’’ Village Chairperson said that residents in the area are drawing water for drinking and domestic uses from Oraa, and Nyapea seasonal swamps and unprotected wells.
He adds that the water sources are also shared by domestic animals as well as wild animals from the neighboring Kidepo Valley National Game park that stray in the areas in search of water during the dry seasons.
Rose Lalam, the Secretary for Women`s Affairs in Nyapea ‘’B’’ village said that she and members of her household have for the past months’ battled diarrhea and dysentery.She believes that the infections are linked to the consumption of unclean water from the open springs and seasonal swamps.
Monica Adoch, a resident of Nyapea ‘’B’’ village said that she has several times been diagnosed with typhoid which she links to the consumption of contaminated water.
Agnes Akot, a resident of Luguruc who has has also had diarrhea and dysentery several times said that to beat such re-occurrences she is now paying Shillings 1,000 for a boda-boda to bring her 20-liters of water from Omiyanyima or Namokora Town Councils which are located about 12-kilometers away from her area.
Geoffrey Opyet, the Namokora Sub County Chairperson said that he is unaware of the problems but noted that the sub-county is incapacitated to repair the broken boreholes.
He noted that the sub-county has only six functional boreholes which serve over 16,000 people.
Willy Picho, the Kitgum District said that his office last month received a written request from the office of the Namokora chairperson to assess and repair the broken boreholes inorder to save the population. He pledged to send the plumber to rehabilitate the broken boreholes.
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