Some Kapoeta North County residents fetch water from the new multipurpose solar-powered borehole | Credit | Elizabeth Lochapio/Singaita FM
Residents of Nakwasingirai, a gold mining site in Kapoeta South County, Eastern Equatoria State, are urgently calling on the County Wash Department to drill a borehole, as they currently walk 40 minutes to collect unsafe water from nearby streams.
Isaac Lokale, a 30-year-old resident of Nakwasingirai, spoke
to Singaita FM on Monday, explaining the hardships they face.
“There is water challenge in Nakwasingirai, we drink water
which is salty. We want the borehole to be drilled for us,” Lokale said.
“We have mobilized some resources so that we can open up the
road for the services such as water to reach us easily to rescue us from this
situation.”
On Monday, a joint team from the National and State
Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Medical Mission
visited the site after residents raised concerns about cholera outbreak that
has claimed several lives in the area.
Currently, Nakwasingirai residents rely on unsafe water from
streams, with no clean water source available nearby. This situation has caused
concern, especially with the rising fear of waterborne diseases like cholera.
For his part, Jackson Ejore, the County Wash Inspector for
Kapoeta South, says his office is aware of the challenges faced by the people
of Nakwasingirai.
He states that he has forwarded the issue to Wash partners
so that it can be included in the plans for new boreholes. However, at present,
they are only rehabilitating the broken boreholes.
“The water points that were there are all no longer
functional. We have already forwarded their case to NCA and other partners, as
we have discussed it with NCA and FAO. It’s already in the plan, but we do not
know when the plan will materialize. I have shared the details of the affected
areas, including Nakwasingirai and Napetait,” Ejore said.
Nakwasingirai is home to over 2,000 local gold miners from
various parts of Greater Kapoeta, including Kapoeta East, North, and South. The
area is located approximately 45 kilometers from Kapoeta Town.
The residents continue to hope that the authorities will
take swift action to address their water crisis, as they endure long walks and
unsafe drinking water daily.