Ngoma Residents Battle Years of Unsafe Water Amidst Infrastructure Woes

Communities in Ngoma Parish, Ntungamo District, are facing a protracted crisis characterized by a severe lack of safe and reliable water. Residents are compelled to draw water from open wells and trenches, sources also frequented by animals, raising significant health concerns.

Fear of waterborne diseases like typhoid is rampant, with children being particularly vulnerable. “Children get sick and we are always treating typhoid,” shared Praise Niwalimpa, a resident who has lived in the area for a decade. A previously functional borehole is now defunct, forcing inhabitants to travel up to four kilometers to find cleaner water.

This has placed immense pressure on the few available, distant water sources. “As we fetch, the cattle is also drinking. Others are washing. Six cells all fetch here,” explained Yese Katwesigye, the Ngoma Parish Chairman. The lack of piped water affects all nine cells within the parish.

The water scarcity is compounded by a significant electricity deficit. Only one cell in the entire parish has access to power, leaving the majority in darkness and further hindering daily life and development.

Despite these challenges, some residents are participating in efforts for a new water project, hoping for future relief. However, concerns remain about the project’s timeline and the affordability of the eventual service.

Local leaders are appealing to the government to prioritize the infrastructure needs of Ngoma Parish, emphasizing the urgent requirement for safe water and electricity. “We request the government to intervene. To let the people of Ngoma get the water to use,” stated Steven Kazoora, LC3 Chairperson for Nyakyerra.

The combined lack of access to clean water and electricity has created a cycle of hardship for Ngoma’s residents, who are now looking to authorities for sustainable solutions to their long-standing infrastructure problems.

Source: Nile Post