Hundreds of residents of Mityana district are facing a an acute water shortage because of the prolonged dry spell. The residents have to travel long distances and endure long queues to get water.
For example, most water sources in Mityana municipality have dried up in the dry spell. The only water source is located at a place called “Kiyudaaya.” Residents turn up in big numbers and wait in the long queues to get water.
However, some of the locals who saw an opportunity where others saw challenges have resorted to using their bicycles, motorcycles and cars to fetch water and sell to the residents of the municipality.
Shaffik Bbaale is one such person. He quit working as a driver of a breakdown truck and now uses his truck to deliver water to the homes of the residents. Shaffik is making a killing selling water with each jerrycan going for between 1,500 to 2,000 shillings.
Yunus Kyagulanyi used to sell pineapples but he abandoned the business for this lucrative one of selling water. He is worried of losing out when the rain eventually falls because he will have lost a profitable source of livelihood.
Currently, the people with means of transport to Lake Wamala are the ones cashing in on the water crisis. The vast majority have no alternative but to part with quite a sum to buy water from mobile trucks.