Zombo Woman MP restores safe water source, improving health for thousandss

Full report

By Mike Rwothomio

More than 3,000 residents of Paidha Town Council in Zombo District now have access to safe drinking water after years of dependence on contaminated sources that posed significant risks of waterborne diseases.

For communities long affected by water scarcity and poor sanitation, the restoration marks a major public health advance.

The Anjat protected spring was rehabilitated for residents of Akir Cell in Zingii Ward by Topista Acamfua, the Zombo District Woman Member of Parliament, following sustained community appeals.

The intervention serves more than 800 households on the periphery of the densely populated commercial centre of Paidha and supplements existing but unreliable sources, including Afiya, Toda, Apirindit and Kulu Pamitu.

Local leaders reported that the Anjat spring had last been rehabilitated more than 50 years ago and had become completely silted and buried under sand, rendering it non-functional and unsafe.

Harriet Wiyajik, a resident of Akir Cell, said families previously relied on contaminated water sources that endangered household health, particularly for women and children.

She said the new facility will reduce the need for mothers to travel long distances in search of potable water, thereby lowering the risk of waterborne infections and easing the burden of water collection.

“For years, we have relied on distant water sources. We highly commend our Woman MP for this timely initiative,” Wiyajik said.

Oliver Kayenyparwoth, also from Akir Cell, added: “We are overjoyed that our dream has finally come true, and we are deeply grateful to her for this support.”

According to a representative of the Woman MP, additional protected springs are under construction in neighbouring Zingili and Alengukuma cells, which together serve thousands of residents.

Improved access to safe water is expected to deliver measurable public health gains, including reduced incidence of diarrhoeal diseases, better hygiene practices, and enhanced maternal and child health outcomes, alongside broader economic and environmental benefits.

Cwinya-ai Wilfred, the LCI Chairperson for Akir Cell, called on residents to maintain regular communal cleaning to safeguard sanitation around the facility and prevent recontamination.

“I now call upon everyone in our community to actively participate in communal cleaning so that our new water source is regularly and properly maintained,” he said.

Official data for Zombo District indicate an overall water coverage rate of 82 percent, 89 percent rural and 77 percent urban , with a facility functionality rate of 79 percent.

Nationally, Ministry of Water and Environment figures from 2023 show that the government had constructed 150,837 water supply facilities, comprising 42,007 deep boreholes, 21,722 shallow wells, 29,261 protected springs, 37,480 public stand posts or taps, and 20,367 rainwater harvesting tanks.

Uganda currently has 146,333 domestic water points serving 31,011,286 people, of whom 24,505,180 live in rural areas. An additional 5,312 sources have remained non-functional for more than five years and are classified as abandoned. The country also operates 1,211 piped water schemes.