Residents of Gulu municipality are grappling with reduced water supply as a result of a decrease in water level at Oitino dam (1) from 4.65 metres to 2.7 metres deep. When this reporter visited the area, he noticed bare ground around the previously- full dam in Patiko sub-county.

With at least 139,000 people on the grid, the most affected areas are Pece and Layibi divisions, which are on raised grounds. In these areas, water supply fluctuates regularly.

Gulu NWSC area manager Stephen Gang admitted to The Observer on Tuesday that they have failed to meet their clients’ demand for water. He, however, added that they intend to rely on the newly-dug Oitino dam (2) if the problem worsens.

“At the moment, we can only supply some amount [of water] to our people, but the water level at the dam has reduced from 4.7 to 2.7 metres. If it reaches 2.0 metres, we shall be forced to use Oitino dam (2),” Gang said.

Oitino dam (2) was built last April by the army, in a bid to boost supply. They were dispatched to dig trenches so as to allow nearby streams flow into the dam. This was after Oitino dam (1) dried completely with water levels reducing from 4.65 to 0.08 metres in March 2016.

NWSC’s Gulu branch currently supplies 3,186 cubic metres of water per day, although the required target for its consumers is 5,000 cubic metres daily. Lamwo and Agago districts have also been hit by water crisis due to the dry season. Lamwo district veterinary officer Bosco Ogen told The Observer by

telephone that many pastoralists are already moving their animals along the stream in search of water and pasture. Some of the pastoralists, he said, are coming from as far as the Karamoja sub- region.

LOCALS SUFFER

The water shortage has affected public institutions in Gulu municipality including the Gulu regional referral hospital and Gulu University. Gulu hospital director Nathan Onyachi said the medical facility has to rely on its boreholes and a sub massive water pump because water shortage disrupts operations at the facility.

Gulu University, on the other hand, has to hire a police fire brigade truck that often collects water from the Oitino dam to fill the water tanks on campus.

As part of the efforts to ensure adequate water supply, through a three-year project dubbed ‘100 percent Service Coverage Acceleration Programme (SCAP)’, three electric deep- drilled boreholes in Unyama, Onang and Michan have been constructed and are yet to be tested soon.

“We plan to test these boreholes this week before we can start supplying water to people to stop water problems that they face,” Gang said. “Michan borehole will supply 17 cubic metre of water per hour (17,000,000 litres), Onang will supply 15 cubic metre per hour (15,000,000 litres) while Unyama will supply nine cubic metres per hour (9,000,000 litres).”

In a telephone interview, NWSC spokesperson Samuel Apedel said more water sources will be constructed countrywide using Shs 216 billion jointly contributed by NWSC (58 per cent) and the government (42 per cent).

Apedel said other water sources are expected to be set up in August this year in a bid to ensure all homesteads can access water within the distance of 200 metres by 2020.

“So far, NWSC has covered about 77 per cent of the country, but we hope by the end of this project [in the 2019/20 financial year], we shall be able to cover 1,200 villages in 200 towns,” he said.

According to Apedel, NWSC is also facing challenges with curbing certain activities, adding that most of water problems are also due to the global climate changes.

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