Acute water shortage bites hard in Uyui

Residents of Upuge Village in Uyui District, Tabora Region, are forced to walk vast distances in search of water due to the severe water shortage facing the area.  

Speaking to The Citizen on the problem recently, they noted that the shortage had been triggered by the increased environmental degradation that caused the area’s dependable water sources to dry.

“The fact that we have no reliable sources of water near here is troubling us a lot as we have to spend many hours searching  for a place where we can access the important liquid,” said Kashindye Ludigija, one of the residents.

Another resident, Ms Esta Paula, said almost people across Uyui District were encountering a critical shortage of the vital life-giving liquid and urged the government to immediately find the solution to their problem.

For his part, the village chairman, Mr Kassim Kijabalasita, said all their efforts to address the problem had failed given the dryness of their area, noting that they now bank all their hopes  in the project to supply them with water from Lake Victoria.

A water expert at the area, Mr Godwin Mdima, said the problem was big in Uyui District because the area’s water zone was far from the ground surface and therefore it was quite difficult to find water even after drilling boreholes.

“Water shortage at this area could be addressed only by sourcing the liquid somewhere far from here…we expect that the anticipated project to transport water from Lake Victoria would end the chronic water shortage here,” said the expert.

Many areas in Uyui District and other districts across Tabora Region experience a similar problem. 

Its residents mainly access the precious liquid from boreholes as well as natural water wells found in various  places.