By KT Reporter
Leye Dam, which had fallen into ruin for nearly two decades, is back to life following government intervention through the Ministry of Water and Environment. Constructed in 2006, Leye Dam is among several facilities established under the Water for Production (WfP) project, implemented by the ministry’s Water for Production Department.
The project aimed to boost agricultural productivity through the construction of dams, irrigation schemes, and water supply systems. However, many of these facilities have remained idle or underutilized over the years due to challenges including poor planning, weak pumping systems, funding gaps, substandard works, lack of community ownership, and maintenance failures.
Leye Dam is one such facility. Around 2016, the dam became heavily infested with aquatic weeds, forcing away investors and community members who had been using it for cage fish farming. Engineer Ronald Kato Kayizzi, the Assistant Commissioner for Water for Production, says some of the weeds may have been unintentionally introduced by fish mongers.
“So we had to do our best to rehabilitate it,” he said, adding, “And the ministry, through the department, and through our regional office, is going to ensure that we undertake irrigation, smallholder irrigation, by the beneficiaries who are around the water body.” Kayizzi explained that sustained community interventions around the dam will be critical in ensuring its protection and proper management.
“There should be a center of excellence for practices in aquaculture and in irrigation. So if we can establish solar power irrigation systems, the water is clear, so the farmers will be guided on how best to utilize this body,” he said. Globally, water for production accounts for more than 80 percent of total water withdrawals.
In Uganda, however, less than two percent of available water is used for production, despite government investments aimed at promoting agricultural resilience, sustainable development, and reducing reliance on rain-fed farming in the face of climate change.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has intensified efforts to address water management challenges across the country, including the removal of invasive weeds such as water hyacinth, which continue to choke several water bodies.
In Kole District, local authorities are turning to nature-based solutions to address the challenge of invasive weeds. The District Chairperson, Andrew Moses Awany, says the plan is to introduce ducks to help clear the weeds and restore the dam to full productivity.
At the community level, residents have welcomed the revival of the dam. Jimmy Okello, the LC1 Chairperson of Leye Village in Telela Parish, Ayer Sub County, says the renewed activity has brought relief to the area. However, he warned that leaving the dam unattended poses serious risks, noting that some people have been using it to commit suicide by drowning.
He added, “We call upon the government to bring us, there are some other good fish species that can live in this water, we also use this water for fishing at least.” Meanwhile, Joe Okello, the Chairperson of the Water User Committee, said community members had lost interest in protecting the dam because they were not benefiting from it.
“The dam is there, and the money which is injected here is 4.7 billion shillings, which is much money but that money is being wasted, I can say, because there is nothing,” he said. Adding that, “there is nothing we are benefiting. Instead, the community around, what we are benefiting is malaria because there is too much mosquito here.”
He appealed to the local government leadership to allocate a budget specifically for routine maintenance of the dam.
With ducks set to act as biological weed controllers and renewed community engagement, Leye Dam is expected to reclaim its role as a vital source of food, water, and livelihoods for the people of Kole District.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
