Karamojong Communities Warned Against Bathing in Borehole Aprons

Communities in Moroto District have been warned against bathing in borehole aprons and sharing water sources with animals.

In Karamoja, it is a common practice for the local community to use a borehole apron for bathing, a vice which has contributed to high rates of water-borne diseases. An apronslab is a smooth surface constructed around a borehole to prevent water from soaking into the ground.

Musa Lowot, the District Water Officer for Moroto, says that the district is still grappling with poor sanitation which is also caused by high poverty rates in the region.

Lowot said the sanitation in Moroto district is only 24.6 percent in hygiene levels despite having 72 percent clean water coverage and it’s made worse in the villages where the local people share the water sources with animals and bathe from the borehole apron.

‘’The water owners must consider water source protection to avoid the health effects such as cholera and other water-borne diseases’’ He said.

Lowot revealed that water and sanitation are essential for life and health but poor hygiene has left thousands of children very sick and at risk of death.

//Cue in ‘’the community especially…

Cue out ‘’it worsens the situation. //

Many boreholes were constructed by the government and other development partners in rural areas to address the water crisis, but many have been mismanaged by the communities.

Anjello Pulkol, the district councilor representing Loputuk sub-county, said the people have developed a mentality of not protecting the water sources donated to them.

He said as leaders are committed to getting the community out of the negative attitude toward owning government projects.

Pulkol says that they have been sensitizing the communities on the dangers of sharing a water source with animals and bathing around the water points but the change has not been easy to achieve as locals are keen on sticking to their old habits.

He blamed the community for paying deaf ears to the calls to protect the water sources and yet it is for their own benefits.

//Cue in: once it gets spoilt the community’’

Cue out: “…this brings about some’’.//

In 2020, Cholera broke out in Natapara Kocuc in Loputuk sub-county affecting 60 villages across six sub-counties in the North and South divisions as well as Moroto municipality with a population of over 18,000 people.