By Tolit Ivan & Agency
The State Minister for Northern Uganda, Kenneth Omona, has directed the Ministry of Water and Environment to produce a detailed performance report on the delayed rehabilitation of the Agoro Irrigation Scheme in Lamwo District within three weeks.
The directive follows growing concerns from farmers in Agoro Sub- County, who say the multi-billion shilling irrigation project has failed to effectively support agricultural production despite years of rehabilitation works.
Agoro Irrigation Scheme, located in Tumanun A Village in Agoro Sub-county, Lamwo District, is among the largest irrigation schemes in Uganda.
Constructed in the late 1960s, the scheme was designed to boost agricultural production during the dry season.
The irrigation project covers about 1,650 acres of arable land and has undergone rehabilitation since 2012 at a cumulative government cost of 30.7 billion shillings. The latest rehabilitation works are being undertaken at a cost of 2.2 billion shillings.
However, farmers say the prolonged rehabilitation has failed to improve water supply to their gardens.
During a recent site visit to the scheme, Omona expressed disappointment over the delayed works, saying the project had failed to deliver the intended benefits to the local population.
The minister also questioned whether there was value for money in the project given the billions already spent and the slow pace of implementation.
But Charles Bwire, the Senior Engineer at the Ministry of Water and Environment in charge of Water for Production at the Northern Regional Centre, said the rehabilitation works had reached 85 percent completion.
Bwire said the contractor, VIDAS Engineering Services, has only one month left on the contract to complete rehabilitation works on the six farm blocks.
He added that water is currently able to reach all sections of the rehabilitated scheme except blocks 7, 8, and 9, where some farmers reportedly rejected physical surveys on their land.
