Two water points worth 524 million Shillings have been installed in Ocipi ‘A’ and Ocipi ‘B’ in Bana parish, Lakang Sub County, and are expected to serve at least 3,000 residents.
Residents in two villages in Lakang sub-county, Amuru
district now have access to clean safe drinking water, thanks to a
multimillion-pipe water project by The Hunger Project, an international NGO.
Two water points worth 524 million Shillings have been
installed in Ocipi ‘A’ and Ocipi ‘B’ in Bana parish, Lakang Sub County, and are
expected to serve at least 3,000 residents.
William Okiya Manasi, the LCI of Ocipa ‘A’ Village, told
Uganda Radio Network that the water installation relieves mothers and daughters
who travelled long distances looking for clean water. Okiya revealed that up to seven villages out of the 13
villages in Bana parish still lack access to safe clean water.
“We appeal to the Hunger Project Managers to install
more water points, because without enough water, many activities in a home
cannot be done,” Okiya said.
Evelyn Namubiru Tondo, the Head of Programs at The
Hunger Project, revealed that the NGO went to Amuru to establish a health centre,
food storage facility, sub-county headquarters, and primary school, but it was
prompted to solve the water crisis first.
Tondo believes that with the water points in place, the
school, health facility, and administrative unit they intend to establish will
function well.
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John Bosco Opiyo the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
of Amuru district said the water project is a great relief to a community that
has been lacking in many amenities.
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Osborn Oceng, the Resident District Commissioner of
Amuru district, commended the community for giving land for the water projects
and urged them to do the same for future developments.
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Oceng advised the beneficiaries of the water project to
handle it as their own, by maintaining the infrastructure and keeping it clean,
saying it no longer belongs to the donors.
“I call upon the water officer to periodically inspect
the water and any breakdowns should be immediately worked on,” Oceng said.
Susan Anena, who resides about 20 meters from the water
point, said she is excited about the pipe water because it will reduce the
time she takes fetching water.
According to Anena, the old water source was dug
manually by residents, and it could take her at least an hour to get water from
it when there are many people at the source.
Lucy Lapobo revealed that their water source was
problematic and required them to clean after every two days.
Lapobo is happy that with the tap water, she can send
her child to fetch because it is near and easy to draw.
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Leonora Ayero said the stream they used before was
crowded and dirty and required one to first sieve, boil, and leave it to settle
before using it.
