Africa-Press – Uganda. A one-and-a-half ride on a motorcycle from Arua Town to Biacici Village, Ayaa Parish in Arua District, would acclimatise you to the area but using an air-conditioned vehicle would introduce you to a sudden hostile environment.
The village is characterised by vast lands with sparse settlements dotted with trees in a once-forested area. The main economic activity in this area is animal rearing and charcoal burning.
This perhaps explains why there are now dotted trees in the area, most of them having been cut. By 9am, the temperatures in this village are already at 37 degrees Celsius.
Ms Foska Letasi, a resident of Biacici Village, says she initially refused to get married to a man in the area because it has no water source but she was convinced when a borehole was drilled.
“The nearest water point is at Etia Village, about 3km away from here. It is not safe because we share it with animals. We just live by the mercy of God because the water we drink is just unsafe for human consumption,” Ms Letasi says.
She adds: “The water scarcity in the village has also created domestic instabilities because sometimes when we go for water, our spouses think we are for other affairs with men.”
Similarly, Ms Janet Anderu, also a resident of the same village, says they often look for water in the swamps and that the situation is worse during dry seasons.
“When you set off to go and look for water, you have to wake up very early because when you delay, animals will reach the point first and you get dirty water,” Ms Anderu says.
The Ajia Sub-county Chairman, Mr Jacob Anguajibi, says animal keepers have lost their animals due to a lack of water too.
“We have attempted to sink boreholes but we have hit dry wells on very many occasions,” Mr Anguajibi says.
To address the community’s plight, the Ministry of Water and Environment has undertaken a project to construct a Shs350m valley tank to address the crisis.
Mr Kato Kayizi, a commissioner for water for production in the ministry, has urged the community to guard against vandalism.
He says locals should turn the area into a promised land by using the water to produce crops, rare animals and grow trees.
Capacity
Arua’s Deputy Resident District Commissioner Denis Okwaimungu says if there is no water for production, life becomes difficult for both humans and animals.
He suggests that there is a need to introduce irrigation schemes to the locals so that they can engage in farming. He has also asked locals to engage in tree planting to reclaim the lost vegetation that has changed the weather pattern.
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