By Irene Abalo Otto
Long term, Gulu district plans to pump water from the Nile following the recent water crisis in the district.
The water crisis, officials of National Water and Sewage Corporation (NWSC), explained was caused by a prolonged drought.
Although normal water supply has now resumed in Gulu, it has led to soul searching questions as to how to avoid another water crisis from hitting the district, considering the increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns.
Now the Gulu branch manager for NWSC, Paul Rackara, has in an interview with Acholi Times revealed that there is a plan to pump water from the River Nile to meet increasing demand. Karuma is about 88kms from Gulu town.
Rackara did not give a time frame when the pipeline to Karuma will be built.
Rackara, however, counselled that people should conserve the environment because it was implications on water supply.
“People should try to conserve the environment because that is where we get our water from,” said Rachkara.
The NWSC pointed out that the misuse of the environment; encroaching on the wetlands; streams and swamps disrupts the sources of water and is to blame for global warming.
Gulu district was rated among the warmest districts in Uganda in February and March.
The NWSC Gulu manager counselled that unless encroachers are prevented from destroying wetlands, the problem of water shortages won’t stop.
“Government agencies should have dealt with the encroachers for example those reclaiming the swamp and those burning charcoal. Unless we do something about this, this problem [water shortage] is not about to stop.”
