Follow @chimpreports Trouble is brewing in Arapai Sub County, Soroti district after residents blamed China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for the declining water level of Arabaka valley dam on along Soroti-Moroto road.
CCCC was contracted by Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to tarmac part of Soroti-Moroto road beginning from Soroti town up to Katakwi district bordering Karamoja region in Napak district.
But residents say their only source of water for domestic use, fishing and watering animals during prolonged drought seasons of water scarcity is drying as the construction firm uses most of the water to water the road during construction.
Michael Anoku, one of the residents in Akaikai village, says the road construction work has consumed large volumes of water from the dam using water boozers.
Mr Anoku claims that the water levels in the valley dam have drastically reduced since the road construction project started in June this year.
The LC III chairman Arapai sub county, Mr Simon Emetu, also raised concern over the matter, insisting that the dam is used for watering herds of animals by farmers.
“The water level has indeed gone down, our fear is that 2 months from now, there will be no water left,” he adds.
The LC one chairperson Akaikai village, Akaikai parish in Arapai Sub County, Mr Simon Erongu, said with the unpredictable sequence of rains, what is left in the valley dam can’t take them up to December.
When contacted, the coordinator of CCCC, Mr Charles Oriokot, said that they have requested the locals to file their complaint through the resident engineer.
Mr Oriokot added that once that is done, they will not object to the directive that will come from UNRA.