By KT Reporter
Residents of Nadunget sub-county in Moroto district have come together to de-silt the Nangorit valley tank. This vital water source serves three parishes, following a severe water crisis.
The valley tank, constructed in 2017 by Cooperation and Development (CnD) with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides water for both livestock and domestic use. However, siltation had reduced its capacity, leaving communities and herdsmen struggling to access clean water.
Determined to find a solution, community members from Nangorit parish rolled up their sleeves and started de-silting the tank using their own equipment, including hoes, spades, and wheelbarrows. Their efforts have been supported by CnD, which is providing a token of appreciation to those involved in the work.
The community’s efforts are ongoing, with workers using their hands and hoes to scoop out the mud and carry it outside the dam. Their determination is driven by the hope of having a reliable water source once the rains return.
According to them, they have so far spent one week digging and clearing the mud, and the work is moving steadily.
Anna Mary Longora, a community member, said they decided to join the men in the de-silting effort because they also benefit from the water source.
“We always use the water for domestic purposes, such as washing clothes and sometimes cooking,” she said.
Michael Loru, one of the pastoralists, said that the valley tank has helped them a lot, especially with calves and goats that cannot walk long distances to find water.
Loru said that when the dam started silting, they informed the district leaders to help them de-silt it, but all efforts were in vain.
He explained that the little water that remained in the dam was very smelly and had leeches, segmented worms that live in the water and suck blood from animals. He explained that the worm gets stuck on the animal’s tongue while taking water and starts sucking blood from the animal.
Loru said that they stopped using the dam when the water dried off completely, and then they had to start de-silting it so it could collect clean water during the rainy season.
“We requested support from CnD, and they agreed to pay us some money just to motivate us in our work, and luckily enough, they accepted,” Loru said.
Loru revealed that they are being paid 6,000 shillings per cubic meter that they dig and clear. He said that the money is meant to buy them food to get energy to be able to work another day, but it’s not payment for labor.
Samuel Ochom, the team leader, said the money is meant to motivate the workers and is not a payment for labor.
Ochom said the dam has been crucial in supporting the community, providing water that could last the entire year, even during dry seasons. He noted that the silting affected it during last year’s rainy season, and as a result, very little water was harvested.
He says they are using their own hands and hoes to scoop the mud and carry it outside the dam. He stressed that they are determined to complete the work before the rains return so that the dam is capable of collecting more water.
Ochom appealed to the government to prioritize valley tanks in every parish to help address the water crisis and reduce pressure on the Kobebe dam. He explained that the herdsmen would be able to water the animals at the valley tank while preserving the water from Kobebe dam for use during hard times.
Currently, pastoralists are stuck with over 50,000 head of cattle in Moroto district following the sudden drying up of the Kobebe dam. This has been the only dam serving the pastoralists from Kotido, Napak, Moroto, and Turkana from Kenya, but after drying up due to siltation, the pastoralists are now forced to migrate to other regions like Teso and Acholi in search of water.
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