Minister Ogwang Moves To End Awaya Dam Standoff As Villagers Cry Out For Water

 December 23, 2025   |    95 views

By Our Reporter | Ngariam Focus

APOLIN VILLAGE,KATAKWI SUBCOUNTY, NGARIAM COUNTY —A simmering community dispute over the Awaya earth dam has burst into the public arena, drawing the intervention of Ngariam County MP, Hon. Peter Ogwang, after residents accused FDC Parliamentary flag bearer Ignatius Loyola Apuda of blocking their access to the government-constructed water point.

In the neighboring villages of Obilikereta, Aparisia and Apolin, livestock bleat and low restlessly, tethered to dry ground while water glistens just out of reach — a scene villagers describe as “suffering beside salvation.”

Led by their LC1 Chairperson David Osenya, residents petitioned their legislator, lamenting that the dam built to serve them has been turned into an exclusion zone.

 “We sleep next to the water but wake up to thirst. We are near the dam the government brought for us, but cannot water our cows because Mr. Apuda has blocked us,” Osenya said, voicing the community’s frustration.

Hon. Ogwang, addressing the crowd, condemned the alleged obstruction, questioning the character of a would-be leader who would, in his words, “punish the very people he seeks to represent.”

 “This is sad and very unfortunate,” Ogwang remarked, pledging to take up the matter urgently with the relevant government agencies to restore community access.

In a gesture that lifted the crowd’s spirits, the MP also announced plans to lobby for a second earth dam, ensuring that both villages have a reliable water source.

 “Let’s work together. We shall sit, agree, and identify a location that serves everyone,” he added, urging unity over division.

The dispute has reignited debate on access to communal resources in Ngariam, where water for livestock remains as critical as rain in a long planting season. For many families whose wealth is measured in cattle, being locked out of a public water source is more than an inconvenience — it is an attack on survival.

The rally, attended by former Soroti Municipal Mayor Alfred Martin Aruo and Katakwi Subcounty LC3 Chairperson Henry Moses Omaje, ended with renewed hope that the Awaya dam, once a symbol of progress, will soon return to its purpose: quenching a thirsty community.