Residents of Katine Sub County in Soroti district have sounded a distress call to government authorities and development partners, urging urgent intervention to address the acute shortage of clean and safe water in their communities.
The appeal comes amid growing frustration among local leaders and residents over the deteriorating state of boreholes, many of which have broken down and remain unrepaired, leaving thousands of people reliant on unsafe water sources.
Julius Otaya, the LC1 chairperson of Merok village in Katine Sub County, painted a grim picture of the crisis.
He explained that his village, with a population exceeding 1,000 people, has no functioning borehole, forcing residents to fetch water from unprotected and contaminated sources.
“The two boreholes that were constructed in Merok village are no longer functioning due to mechanical problems. People have to walk long distances or draw water from open wells and ponds, which are dirty and unsafe,” Otaya lamented.
He warned that the lack of clean water exposes families to serious health risks, including waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
“Our people are falling sick because of the water they are forced to drink. The situation is dire and beyond what the community can fix on its own. We are appealing to government and well-wishers to come to our rescue,” Otaya added.
His concerns were echoed by Moses Emugu Erojo, the Katine Sub County chairperson, who admitted that the issue of borehole breakdowns is widespread across the sub county.
“Many villages in Katine are grappling with the same problem. The boreholes have been in place for years but there has been limited support for maintenance and rehabilitation. It is now a major challenge for us as local leaders,” Erojo said.
He noted that the sub county leadership is trying to lobby for support from the district and partners to rehabilitate the broken boreholes and expand water coverage to unserved areas.
Meanwhile, Susan Amao, the woman district councilor representing Katine Sub County, acknowledged the severity of the water crisis.
She assured residents that the district has included plans to improve water coverage in its development agenda.
“We are aware of these challenges, and the district has plans to increase access to clean and safe water. However, resources are limited, so we are working with partners and NGOs to see how more boreholes can be drilled and the existing ones repaired,” Amao said.
For the people of Merok village and other affected communities in Katine, the situation has had ripple effects on daily life.
Some residents say that they previously relied on the borehole at the local primary school, but it is also in a state of disrepair.
“Even the school borehole is no longer working properly. It used to help the whole community, but now everyone is scrambling for dirty water. This has caused fights in homes and even domestic violence as people quarrel over who will go fetch water and where,” explained one resident who asked not to be named.
The water crisis has also drawn the attention of Peter Edeku Edopu, trustee of the Edeku Foundation and an aspirant for Dakabela County Member of Parliament.
Edopu, through his foundation, has initiated various community support projects aimed at improving the social well-being of the people, including water access.
“As a foundation, we are working across sectors, including water, health, education, and livelihoods. We recognize that water is life. We are looking for ways to partner with government agencies and other organizations to rehabilitate boreholes and improve access to safe water,” Edopu said.
He pledged that if elected as MP, he would prioritize lobbying for resources to address the persistent water crisis in Katine and other affected areas.
Health workers in Soroti district have warned that the continued reliance on unsafe water sources threatens to undo gains made in public health.
They have urged the government to prioritize rural water infrastructure in its planning and budgeting processes.
As residents wait for help, many are left with no choice but to spend hours each day trekking in search of water, time that could otherwise be spent on farming, schooling, or other productive activities.
The crisis in Katine is emblematic of broader challenges facing rural communities across Uganda, where access to clean water remains uneven despite government commitments to achieve universal safe water coverage.
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