Posted on November, 14, 2018 at 09:33 am
By Fred Wambede
Ngora — Many residents in Ngora District have refused to avail land to government for the construction of small-scale irrigation schemes.
The ministry of Water is constructing more than 130 schemes across the country this financial year to enable residents practice modern agriculture to improve productivity and conserve the environment. Government is to spend about Shs20 billion on the project.
However, the ministry permanent secretary, Mr Alfred Okidi Okot, told Daily Monitor at the weekend that many residents do not entrust the government with their land.
"They think the government will grab their land yet the sole intention is only to develop the schemes and hand them over to them," he said, adding that schemes will help in the fight against food shortage and improve household income.
Mr Okidi explained that the ministry wanted about 53 acres of land to set up the Gawa small-scale scheme but only got 11 acres.
"We wanted this scheme to be bigger than this but we were unable to achieve that after some residents refused to surrender their land partly due to negative forces; but now that they have started seeing the benefits, they will change their mind-sets," he said.
Mr James Okollo, a resident, confirmed the fears. "We refused because we were told that the government was hiding behind the excuse of the scheme to grab our land," he said.
Mr John Opolot, another resident, said they were not fully sensitised about the scheme
However, Mr Okidi said the government's objective is to construct irrigation schemes in every parish in the country for both economic transformation and conserving our environment.
"We want to pull them away from those fragile ecosystems and provide them with water so that they are able to carry on with their economic activities away from the wetland," he said.
He added: "We want man and nature to co-exist but in a mutual and beneficial way. We want to use wetlands as a source of water other than people cultivating there," he said.
Achievements
Government on Friday commissioned Gawa small-scale irrigation scheme in Kobwin Sub-county.
Mr Patrick Okotel, the manager water for production in eastern region, said so far they have constructed 15 irrigation schemes out of 30 in the region. He added that the schemes are designed to last 30 years.
"The biggest challenge is operation and maintenance, which are too essential if these schemes are to last long and benefit the beneficiaries," he said.
Mr Okotel said the establishment of irrigation schemes will help much in the restoration of wetlands, which have been degraded due to human activities.
"This will address the increasing wetland degradation, which has resulted in negative consequences, including floods, rising temperatures, loss of biodiversity, prolonged droughts and deteriorating water quality," he said.
He added that they are encouraging residents to set up other activities such as fish farming to eliminate rice growing in wetlands as an economic activity.
Mr Daniel Kasozi, the principal engineer in the ministry of Water, urged the residents to own the project "and desist from any acts of vandalism".
The sub-county vice chairperson, Mr Peter Akomu, applauded government for the scheme, saying farmers in the area are able to cultivate throughout the year. "We are happy and we ask that the government constructs more schemes since we have more sources of water, which we have not exploited," he said.
The chairperson of farmers in the area, Mr Moses Okiror, said the scheme has enabled them to practice commercial farming and that more residents are now willing to join them. "We are growing vegetables, which have ready market and more residents are willing to join us," he said.
Source: IPP Media