Joshua Kato
30 June 2009
Kampala — Water minister Maria Mutagamba and ministry officials tour a valley tank in Lwemiyaga. More Irrigation schemes are needed
Normally, November and early December are wet months. January and February are supposed to be dry months, while rains return from late March to May. The long dry season sets in from late May to October.
However, the sequence has been broken. The supposedly dry period between May and September turned out to be extremely wet, while the supposed wet season of the year, between October and December, turned out to be one of the driest.
And now, the effects of this dry spell have started to bite in various parts of the country. This year, the expected heavy rains between March and May turned out to be short sprinkles with no impact. "The maize crop will be lower by about 70% in the next harvest because of the unexpected dry spell," laments MP Patrick Amuriat from Teso.
Famine has already hit parts of Teso, Lango and West Nile, while dry spells are affecting cattle keepers in Rakai, Ssembabule, Mpigi, Mubende, Kiboga, Nakaseke, Nakasongola and Masindi through Apac, most of which cover the cattle corridor.
The Government has promised to solve the 'water for production' problem across the country, pledging to empower farmers to start practising irrigation agriculture.
However, this has not been implemented, hence food crop failure. Uganda's adaptability to irrigation remains at a lowly 1%, compared to Kenya's 15% - yet there are plenty of water bodies in the countrY. Israel does not have enough rainfall but it practises agriculture throughout the year.
The vast Nile Basin crosses the central and northern parts, River Aswa crosses through most of Acholi and parts of Lango, while most of Teso is also a wetland.
Lake Kyoga covers up parts of Lango and Busoga. In Nakaseke and Kiboga, rivers Mayanja and Kafu can be good sources for irrigation. Lake Mburo, Edward and George can cover up for the west.
There are also man-made water dams scattered in Lyantonde, Rakai and Ssembabule. It is thus surprising that a country so gifted in water sources can have crops drying up and cattle dying from thirst.
Egypt uses the same waters of the Nile to practise all-round agriculture.
According to farmers in Kiboga and Ngoma, at least 25% of animals are lost during every dry spell.
"Fifty percent of cattle keepers here migrate in search of water during the dry season," says Emmanuel Mutaasa, an agriculturist in Kyankwanzi.
In Nakasongola, cattle keepers move towards Lake Kyoga, River Lugogo or Kafu looking for water.
President Yoweri Museveni, a cattle keeper himself, has voiced his concern about the continued movement of cattle because of the risks of diseases.
"We must construct water sources in all areas so that this movement of animals stops," he said at his ranch in Kisozi.
Every time a drought breaks out, policy makers reassure farmers that lack of water will never happen again.
"We are going to construct dams from which your animals will drink," is a statement that has been reiterated by finance ministers during every budget reading. But the policy makers do not construct most of the promised dams.
By 2005, there were 1,000 water dams constructed across the country. However, most of them were filled with silt and less than half are usable.
These dams were supposed to be constructed in vulnerable areas like Karamoja, Ssembabule, Rakai and Nakasongola.
An average of sh8b has been earmarked in the last five years to construct water sources in Karamoja.
But state minister for water, Jeniffer Namuyangu, was surprised that there was nothing to show on the ground, during a visit last week.
"Each district of Karamoja has been receiving sh810m each year for the past five years to develop water sources," she said.
However, the funds were grossly swindled, leaving farmers with no alternative water sources.
In Rakai district, area MP James Kakooza, who is also the state minister for primary health-care, is investigating the construction of a sh2.5b water dam in his area.
He received complaints from residents that the dam that has been under construction for a while does not have water.
"We are following up this issue because this dam was supposed to help farmers," he told the residents.
During the launch of several water dams in Ssembabule in 2006, water and environment minister Maria Mutagamba, promised the construction of more dams to save cattle keepers from the effects of drought.
"The Government has a programme to construct water dams and valley tanks," she promised.
On average, a single water dam can facilitate at least 4,000 cattle.
This means that a district like Nakasongola with over 250,000 cattle needs at least 50 dams. The construction of a standard dam costs at least sh25m.
Although machine - dug valley tanks are an alternative, many of those that were constructed in the 1970s are already silted and easily dry up during the dry seasons.
This is why more dependable dams have to be constructed.
As far as crop farming vis-à-vis dry spells is concerned, the only reason farmers continue suffering during dry spells is poor planning by policy makers.
In the 1960s, an ambitious campaign to use the vast water sources for irrigation was done.
This is when schemes like Kibimba in Bugiri, Kiige in Kamuli, Mubuku in Kaseseirrigation, Labona and Odine in Apac and Doho in Butaleja were set up.
Their impact, throughout the years, has been minimal because of mismanagement.
Five years ago, both Kiige and Doho were resurrected. Kibimba and Mubuku have been operating at minimum level.
Individual farmers with farms near water sources, have irrigation initiatives. In Hoima, the Wambabya Coffee Farm, run by Hoima Diocese had an integrated irrigation scheme that catered for over 50 acres of coffee and other produce and is estimated to cost about sh50m.
A little empowerment of farmers can help them irrigate their crops. "I just need a water pump that I can station on the river in the swamp" says Ssebata Musisi, who already has three water tanks with a total capacity of 90,000 litres which he can use to irrigate his crops.
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