The government of Uganda is in advanced stages of constructing a 10,000 square hectares, estimated at about sh.354bn, mam-made lake at Lopei in Karamoja Sub-region. This comes as a way to restraint insecurity and promote agricultural production in the region.
This was revealed yesterday by the outgoing Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mr John Byabagambi while handing over the office to his successor, Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu, in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
In his speech, Mr Byabagambi stressed that the outstanding immediate assignments awaiting the new minister are the construction of a man-made lake at Lopei between the districts of Moroto and Kotido, and fast tracking the gazetting of Mt Moroto as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) heritage site.
“President Museveni and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have already signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a lake which will contain 40 million cubic metres of water to reduce insecurity in Karamoja and Pokot pastoralists and generate 6MW of electricity,” he said.
He added that the lake, whose feasibility studies and designs have already been carried out, is expected to cost less than $100m (Shs354.1b) and will serve the districts of Napak, Moroto, Kotido, and Abim, to reduce the distances that the pastoralits have been travelling to access water in the five valley dams and 116 valley tanks that were constructed in the area.
In her speech, Dr Kitutu said when she was being vetted by Parliament for her new position, she was tasked to tell the House how she planned to stop water runoff from Karamoja to Teso which always ends up flooding Teso.
“I told them, I will stop the water from flooding Teso. As Minister of Water and Environment, there are certain insecurities you can map out and water is one of them. Once there is water, peace will prevail,” she said.
She explained that she was going to channel her energies in ensuring availability of water for production and bulk water to steer development in Karamoja which is now being earmarked by development partners to invest in the sector but are being scared away by insecurity.
However, it should be noted that the construction of a fresh water man-made lake in the region has been a project long due having been intended to be undertaken by 2018.
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