Wilson Musinguzi, another farmer from Kameme village, says that the irrigation plant has been dysfunctional for over a year. According to Musinguzi, he saw the scheme operating for only one month after completion.
The solar
irrigation scheme built along Ntungwa River in Kanungu district has failed to
make any positive impact on agriculture in the area, the farmers have revealed. The government completed the scheme, which is found in Kameme village in Kibimbiri
parish in Kihihi Sub County in January 2019.
The scheme was built in line with
the presidential directive issued in 2017 following a public outcry on the
prolonged dry spell, which had resulted in food insecurity forcing families to
survive on mangoes and spear grass. The crisis
had affected the areas of Kihihi, Nyamirama, Nyakinoni and Nyanga.
To save the
situation, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ordered the construction of an
irrigation scheme to ensure that crops do not wither in gardens. However, the
farmers say the solar plant operated for less than a year and developed a fault. According to
farmers, the scheme has not helped them at all.
Andrew Niwabine, Apollo
Rukagyira and Sarah Asiimwe, all farmers in the area, say the irrigation plant
only worked for two seasons after completion. They note that they registered
some positive results during the two seasons the irrigation plant was
working.
//Cue in: “kyibeire kiratuyamba konka….
Cue in:
…tibasharwiire munonga,”//
Wilson Musinguzi, another farmer from Kameme village, says that the irrigation
plant has been dysfunctional for over year. According to Musinguzi, he saw the
scheme operating for only one month after completion.
//Cue in: “irrigation egyi kuza…
Cue out: …egumizemu ebakorere.”//
Gideon Tabaruka, the Kameme village LC 1 Chairperson, who is also a member of Kameme
Rice Farmers Pilot Irrigation Scheme, says the plant hasn’t served its purpose.
Tabaruka says that a few months after
its completion, the pipes that pump water from the river to sprinklers were
clogged with sand.
He says that what angers them is that even officials who had promised to intervene
by January this year did not walk the talk. According to Tabaruka,
farmers are now stuck on how to plant rice because of the heavy sunshine being
experienced in the area.
//Cue in:
“We have not…
Cue out: …from it,”//
Rukiga
//Cue in: “mazima tiheine eki...
Cue out: …bagyikore ehwe.”//
Efforts to
talk to Godwin Nkwasiibwe, the Kanungu District Production and Marketing
Officer about the matter were futile as he neither picked nor returned calls
from our reporter. Gad Rugaaju, the Kanungu Deputy Resident District
Commissioner told our reporter that he is not aware that the solar plant is
faulty since he is still new in the district.
He promised
to visit the plant before the end of this month to find out why it is dysfunctional.
