Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents in water-stressed areas of Kapelebyong District are relieved after getting four boreholes in their community.
Speaking at the commissioning of a borehole in Olilia ‘B’ Village in Okungus Sub-county, Kapelebyong, Ms Carolina Atim a resident, said: “This is a blessing to our communities, we thought we would never have a clean water source but now we have it, thanks be to God.”
Ms Atim said locals had been trekking approximately three and a half kilometres to fetch water and they were forced to share the few available water sources with livestock.
The district woman councillor representing Okungur Sub-county, Ms Teddy Alinyo, said the clean water sources will now bring relief to families.
Ms Alinyo said the absence of near and sufficient clean water sources has been a major cause of gender-based violence cases in families. She added that some men would assault their wives over allegations of infidelity because of trekking a long distance to and from the water sources.
Kapelebyong District is composed of eleven sub-counties and 326 villages with a total population of more than 40,000 people. Their water coverage has been standing at 77 percent with a total of 474 functional boreholes.
However, the selected villages have never benefited from clean and safe water sources although government policy requires every village to have a clean water source.
The boreholes were drilled by a private company in Olilia ‘B’ Village, Acegerekuma, Oliabai and Angopet.
Mr Francis Akorikin, the LC5 chairperson of Kapelebyong, lauded Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) for considering the less privileged communities by drilling the boreholes.
“I am so happy and I thank you for helping Kapelebyong. This district is one of the poorest districts in Uganda and if anything, you have genuinely helped this world by helping Kapelebyong,” Mr Akorikin said.
He said although the district has been getting four boreholes per financial year from the government, the selected beneficiary communities have never had clean and safe water.
Ms Juliana Kagwa, the corporate relations officer at UBL, said the borehole projects are part of their social corporate responsibilities aimed at uplifting the living standards of the public.
She said the water sources will help to save the time and will also reduce cases of gender-based violence.
Mr Damon Ansel, the UBL Africa corporate relations director, said clean water is critical for farmers who provide grains, especially sorghum to the company for beer manufacturing.
The Resident District Commissioner of Soroti, Mr Salim Komakech, who represented the State minister for Sports, Mr Peter Ogwang, at the commissioning ceremony in Olilia ‘B’ Village, urged the beneficiaries to utilise the boreholes well.
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