By Mark Kotol
SOROTI: Concerned Ugandans in Teso, Sebei and Karamoja regions have raised concerns over non productive departments created within the ministry of water and environment saying they have failed to create any impact in service delivery but instead it has worsened the service delivery in the country.
Ministry of water has many departments within the ministry include, Water Umbrella for Eastern Uganda, Water Umbrella for North eastern Uganda, Water for production department, small and urban town water supply system. This publication has learnt that each department has it’s own budget and has it’s own staffs earning salaries in their departments but within the ministry of water and environment.
Joseph Omudu a resident of Tubur town council in Soroti district said the worsr department is water Umbrella which spend more than 2bn to construct water supply system in Tubur and he said till now the system is not working. According to Mr.Omudu, the system has now taken to about five years without serving water to the expected population.
“If I was the president would stop this so called water Umbrella departments because it’s being created for eating money,”he said.
Patrick Omoding from Kateta sub county in Serere district, says the same department spent shs 1.4bn constructing water system in the place but now its ten years no single water. He said at one point the team from the ministry of water eastern region admitted that a mistake was made during the siting of where to construct the tank but promised that they were waiting for resource this financial year to relocate the tank to the hill so that the pressure can be much.
“All this is waste of resource for the work not done,”he said.
Mr.Omoding said the Kateta system was supervised by an engineer called Kato who’s now managing central region.
Joel Cherop from Bukwo town council said the same Water Umbrella department made people of Bukwo to drink contaminated water after someone went and washed the chemicals spray pump inside the main tank.
“Several people were admitted because of the carelessness of the staff employed by the department,”he said
Joseph Longos from Amudat town council in Karamoja sub region said the system managed by the water Umbrella has failed adding that they spent shs 13billion but the systems works according to it’s own moods. Mr.Longos called for general audit on the expenditure of these departments and the impacts of the resources to the community.
Jeremiah Lokut from Napak said at least projects under water for production are much better because irrigation systems are in places like Napak and Abim.
