Africa-Press – Uganda. The newly completed Shs2.6 billion Atego Seed Secondary School with an enrollment of 318 students in Atego Sub-county, Nebbi District, is currently hit by acute water shortage.
As a result, some learners miss lessons because they have been forced to walk four kilometres to and from the borehole, which is the nearest water source from the school.
Atego Seed Secondary School is a new government-aided facility is located in the hilly Pamora Upper Parish, a water-stressed area.
The water department says in the Financial Year 2022-2023, Pamora Upper Parish has only 20 percent water coverage during the dry season and 50 percent coverage during the rainy season.
It said the parish, with an estimated population of more than 7,000 people including students, has one bore hole.
In an interview at the weekend, one of the students, Joan Giramia, told Daily Monitor that due to water shortage at the school, they bathe once a day.
“Some of us are suffering from scabies since the water we use is from dirty sources or being shared with animals. Most times, we have to first chase the animals, then allow the water in streams to settle for some time, and then fetch. And so we waste a lot of time fetching water,” she said.
The school head teacher, Mr Charles Kinagwa, said since the school is in a hilly place, it has made it difficult for the school management to access water and the alternative rainwater harvested at the school is being shared with the community.
“On a daily basis, we spend Shs50,000, including transport, on water for students,” he said.
He added: “It has become very expensive to run the newly constructed seed school because since Term One started, the school has not received capitation grant of Shs14 million from the government to meet the administrative costs of the school.”
The school failed to meet the costs of water tankers to deliver water to the school at Shs500,000 per trip. This has then forced the administration to instead buy water locally from the community at Shs 2,000 per jerry can.
The water scarcity has not only affected the school but the entire community.
According to the residents, the available borehole fills up only 10 20-litre jerry cans in an hour.
This has resulted in students and locals lining up for long hours at the borehole.
Mr Walter Mungukende, a resident and a parent, said: “We fear that the water shortage at the school will affect the enrolment in the school since girls need more water during menstruation. The government must come up with a solution to ensure water is taken to Atego Seed School to retain girls at school.”
Ms Fancy Iwutung, a resident of Aringo Village, said she has to wake up by 5am to access the borehole, which is more than 3kms from her home.
She said: “It is painful to see the long line at the borehole…Students are missing lessons because they spend more time at the water source.”
The Nebbi District planner, Mr Ben Ole, said the district has a long-term project plan for installing a Shs1 billion gravitation water flow scheme in Erussi Sub-county. It will connect water to Atego Sub-county, which is about 15kms away.
“The water department is however underfunded. It was allocated only Shs 941 million in the Financial Year 2022-2023, making it hard for the district to plan with the meager resources,” he said.
The district water officer, Ms Evelyn Anican, said drilling bore holes in Pamora Upper Parish has been difficult because it has a low water table. “A lot of work and funding must be done to restore hopes of communities in the water-stressed areas,” she said.
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