Otuke, Uganda | Otuke East County MP Julius Acon Bua has pledged to spend his monthly salary on repairing broken boreholes across the district to improve access to safe and clean water.
The legislator said he had taken the decision after receiving numerous complaints from residents about non-functional boreholes that were constructed by the government and development partners but later broke down due to inadequate maintenance.
Speaking to journalists, Acon said many communities have been left without reliable sources of clean water because the government lacks sufficient funds to rehabilitate all damaged boreholes at the same time.
He explained that his office had carried out an assessment to identify broken boreholes that are outside his ongoing borehole construction programme and that rehabilitation works would commence soon.
Acon said he plans to spend up to Shs3 million on each borehole and targets repairing four boreholes every month using more than Shs10 million from his monthly salary.
He added that, besides repairing broken facilities, his initiative will also support the maintenance of functioning boreholes to ensure they remain operational.
The MP appealed to residents to safeguard the water sources by fencing them to prevent animals from damaging the facilities and to promote community ownership of the infrastructure.
He said protecting boreholes constructed by the government, development partners, and individual leaders would help guarantee sustainable access to safe and clean water for communities across Otuke District.