Robert Muhereza
3 November 2009
Kabale — About 500 people in Bunagaga Parish, Kisoro District are at a risk of catching dysentry and other waterborne diseases, according to an official.
The manager, South Western Umbrella of Water and Sanitation, Mr Julius Byamugisha, said yesterday that the Swiss-based Sole Bonei International (SBI), the company constructing the Kabale-Kisoro Road, destroyed a four kilometre water gravity water flow system and failed to repair it. He said the gravity flow system was destroyed in July and the entire pipe line worth Shs150 million stolen.
The system was constructed in 2004 at a cost of Shs353 million with funding from the Austrian government in order to cater for residents' need for clean water.
Mr Byamugisha said he has written to the director of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) in Kampala, requesting for the re-installation of the destroyed scheme pipe line but has not received any response.
"On October 12, I wrote to the director of UNRA to compel SBI Company to renovate the destroyed water scheme but up to now I have not had any response. Local leaders from Bunagana are crying that there is a scare of dysentery because the people are currently using dirty water collected from ponds," Mr Byamugisha told Daily Monitor yesterday.
The Kisoro chief administrative officer, Mr David Lubuuka, said his water officer reported the case to the Kisoro Police Station and alleged they established that SBI- employees allegedly stole the pipes after excavating them from the ground.
Beneficiaries
About 300 Congolese nationals living near the Ugandan-Congo border and about 500 Ugandans living in Bunagana Parish have been benefiting from the scheme. Construction on the Shs15 billion road was supposed to end in May 2010 but works stalled due to lack of Shs3b required for advance payment to the contractor.
With the start of the rains that are expected to stop later this month, several districts have been hit with waterborne diseases like cholera.
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