By Our Reporter
AMURIA
A significant new project for a piped water supply has been launched in Abarilela sub-county, Amuria District, with a budget of 940 million shillings.
This initiative, supported by Charity Water and executed by Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH) in collaboration with the Government of Uganda for the 2024/2025 financial year, focuses on Omodoi Village. Remarkably, it was developed by SB Innovations Limited in just four months.
This new system is now officially in the hands of the Amuria district local government, aiming to deliver clean and safe water to over 2,000 individuals across four villages in Katine parish: Dodos, Abarilela, Odukurun, and Omodoi.
The new production well, drilled to a depth of 104 meters, boasts a substantial pumping capacity of 6.8 cubic meters, transporting water to a 67,000-liter storage tank situated 10 meters above ground, all powered by solar energy. Presently, the scheme effectively pumps around 40 cubic meters of water daily.
According to Eng. George Alex Anam from Welt Hunger Hilfe, this initial phase of construction includes 70 connections, with 60 households and ten public stand posts already linked.
This project not only addresses the current needs of over 2,000 residents but is also designed to expand over the next 20 years, ultimately aiming to reach more than 4,000 individuals by connecting every household in the area.
The commissioning of this water system coincides with several other initiatives launched during the same financial year across five districts: Katakwi, Kapelebyong, Soroti, Amuria, and Napak, which are all part of the Teso and Karamoja sub-regions.
The event took place at the Abarilela sub-county headquarters on 18th September, 2025 and was attended by officials from both sub-regions.
Harriet Agemo, who leads the WASH projects in Teso and Karamoja, shared some exciting updates following the receipt of USD 1,950,000 (Shs 7.1 billion) from Charity Water last financial year.
With this funding, they successfully drilled 45 new boreholes, rehabilitated 85 existing ones, and built five small piped water systems, each costing between 120 and 330 million shillings. Notably, the Abarilela rural water system was the largest project, costing 940 million shillings.
In addition, five latrine blocks were constructed in schools, and 20 more were rehabilitated.
Overall, these efforts will provide safe and clean water to 50,000 people across rural growth centers, institutions, and communities in both Karamoja and Teso, according to Agemo.
Looking ahead, she noted that over 97,870 individuals are expected to benefit directly from the WASH projects in the 2024/2025 financial year.
Agemo expressed pride in the progress made regarding access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices within communities, institutions, and households. This advancement has had a significant impact on keeping girls in school by addressing the challenges related to menstruation.
She also provided statistics on water access and functionality in the region: Amuria stands at 58%, Kapelebyong at 89%, Katakwi at 77%, Soroti at 61%, and Napak at 84%. The overall infrastructure functionality across these districts has improved to above 55 percent.
Charity Water, based in the US, began funding Welthunger WASH projects in 2018, aiming to enhance access to clean and safe water, as well as improve sanitation and hygiene practices in the two sub-regions.
Eng. Jimmy Biyomotho, the manager of the Rural Water and Sanitation Regional Centre II in Moroto, under the Ministry of Water and Environment, announced that upcoming projects will significantly reduce the distance residents need to travel for water, cutting it to less than 500 meters from their homes.
Biyomotho said this initiative not only aims to decrease water-related diseases but also addresses gender-based violence prevalent in these communities.
He emphasized that this initiative aligns with the ministry’s goals to enhance the piped water system nationwide.
By alleviating the burden of long water-fetching journeys, women and other water users will have more time to engage in income-generating activities, promoting economic growth and helping to combat rural poverty.
Furthermore, he noted that improvements in sanitation are essential to complete the overall water value chain.
Eng. Biyomotho highlighted that these water projects present the government with a significant opportunity to advance public health and improve various aspects of life.
He reaffirmed the government’s role in creating an enabling environment for organizations to deliver their services effectively.
The engineer urged the community to prioritize the operation and maintenance of the water facilities, encouraging residents to collaborate with the ministry-approved board members responsible for managing the system.
“You must act as security guards for these government installations,” he advised.
Jacob Jonga, the Deputy RDC of Amuria, expressed that the project demonstrates good value for money. Additionally, Moses Emabu, the LCV chairperson of Amuria, stated that the water scheme responds to the long-standing demands of Abarilela residents for safe and clean water.
Michael Eluluma, the LC3 Chairperson of Abarilela sub-county, declared that water scarcity would soon be a thing of the past in the newly established town board of Abarilela.
He believes this project will foster economic development, as less time will be spent fetching water, allowing for more opportunities to engage in income-generating activities.
Eluluma also pointed out that the scheme will empower women and girls by reducing the burden of water collection.
He committed, on behalf of the sub-county, to ensuring that the newly established Water Board Committee, trained by the ministry, maintains the scheme effectively.
Julius Wegaba, the area manager of Welthunger Hilfe in Karamoja, attended the commissioning at Abarilela sub-county headquarters in Amuria district, representing the country director, accompanied by district leaders from both Teso and Karamoja.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid agencies in Germany; politically and religiously independent. The organisation fights for “Zero Hunger by 2030”. Since being founded in 1962, it has provided funding of EUR 5.42 billion for more than 12.777 overseas projects in 70 countries.
In 2024 alone, Welthungerhilfe supported about 18.7 million people with its 649 overseas projects in 37 countries. In real terms, that means: Many people now harvest more and can therefore improve their diets. They now have clean drinking water or toilets at home, which leaves them less susceptible to illness. Others are earning or producing more and can begin an education. For the children, Welthungerhilfe’s support means a chance of improved physical and mental development.
Welthungerhilfe bases its efforts on the principle of empowering people to help themselves, which it implements with measures ranging from rapid disaster relief to rehabilitation to long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.
