At least 19 water pump mechanics and district water officers from Masindi and Kabarole districts have undergone a ten-day training on the installation and maintenance of hand pumps (boreholes) in their respective districts.
The ten-day training, which ended today, has been taking place at the Kolping Hotel in Masindi town. The three-year project that is being implemented in the above two districts will see 100 boreholes, 80 in Masindi, and 20 in Kabarole being worked upon.
According to Alfred Dokonyeri, the project officer at Water Aid Uganda implementing the Hand Pump Improvement Project (HIP), most hand pumps in the country are using galvanized pipe materials, which are prone to pipe corrosion and rusting, which affects water quality.
He therefore said they are training the above categories of people to be able to install and maintain povidone (plastic) water pipes, which they are advocating to start using since the galvanized pipe materials are expensive and affect water quality compared to plastic pipes.
While closing the training, Masindi district LCV Chairman Cosmas Byaruhanga commended Water Aid Uganda for implementing such projects in the country, saying it has improved the quality of water access in the district.
He therefore challenged the participants to put into use the skills they have attained as a result of the training.
In the course of the training, three boreholes in the villages of Biizi, Rwensa, and Binyinya were fixed.
INNOCENT ATUGANYIRA
