Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has called for the formation of water management committees in villages to alleviate water issues in the communities.
Speaking at the opening of the 20th African Water Association Congress at Kampala Serena Hotel on Sunday, 23 February 2020, Kadaga said that water scarcity is still an issue in many villages and the biggest bearers of this burden are the women.
“Wherever you go, it is the women who usually have to scavenge for water. They are the ones you see going to the local borehole or the well,” she said.
Kadaga added that even some communities at the lake shores suffer.
“There is a day I went to the shores of Lake Victoria and they told me they can only access a cup of water,” she said.
The Speaker said that she secured a water pump and boreholes for her constituency and it solved domestic issues.
“Marriages are suffering because the women have to get up early and walk distances to get water; teenage girls are taken advantage of by men at water points,” Kadaga said.
She said that water management committees should be created and women involved because they know the issues concerning water adding that, ‘government should support them with the aim of making water accessible’.
The Minister of State for Water, Hon Beatrice Anywar called on female activists to pay special attention to and come up with solutions to deal with water-related issues affecting communities.
The Congress which has attracted water professionals from all over Africa is expected to run until Thursday, 27 February 2020.
