Residents in Arua protest closure of only village borehole

Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 100 residents of Ombokoro village, Adalafu parish in Ayivu West division in Arua city are outraged because of the closure of the only borehole after one woman in the area tested positive for Covid-19. Suspected members of the water user committee secretly closed the borehole which serves over 400 people.

According to information obtained by URN, the decision came just a few hours after a breastfeeding mother was found positive by Arua district Covid-19 task force and advised to self-isolate.

However, the news of the woman and her child testing positive triggered panic among residents prompting some of them to lock up the borehole for at least a month on grounds that the positive woman whose home is closer to the water source and her family could infect the community members.

Some of the community members told URN that they are forced to move over two kilometers to fetch unclean water from River Enyau hence risking their lives.

Speaking in Lugbara, Jimmy Anguyo, a member of the water user committee said he is not aware of the closure of the borehole, saying that this could lead to the outbreak of waterborne diseases.

“This woman has since been isolated and is not allowed to interact with people, I thought they would open the borehole but it has remained locked, I don’t know why. My only advice is to let the borehole be opened to the community because all of us are affected,” said Anguyo.

Alex Ecoku, the LC 1 chairperson of Ombokoro village promised to call a meeting of residents to discuss the issue of the borehole.

The incident which is the first of its kind in Onduparaka has puzzled residents with some demanding the transfer of the positive case to the isolation center at Arua regional referral hospital.

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URN