By Ouni Jaspher
DOKOLO – Dokolo South Member of Parliament Vincent Opito has donated a canoe to ease movement in Aoa Village, Apyennyang Parish, Kwera Sub County, where floods have submerged and cut the village into two.
Since 2019, Aoa Village has been divided by rising water. Residents are forced to cross using canoes to access the other side of the village and to reach essential services.
Other areas in Dokolo District also affected include parts of Adeknino Sub County, Kwera Sub County, Okwongodul Sub County and Agwata Town Council.
The flooding has disrupted community access to schools, health facilities and markets.
While handing over the canoe to Aoa Village, MP Opito said Article 30 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to education, is being undermined in the area.
“I have brought this canoe to coordinate movement so that our children can get to school,” he said.
Opito also decried the impact of the floods on cultural practices, especially burial. He said burials are now taking place on borrowed land, contrary to Lango culture where people wish to be buried near their ancestors.
“The right of the deceased is not being respected. When water comes and submerges graves, relatives are forced to exhume the bodies,” he added.
The MP appealed to government to intervene, saying communities living near the lake are “living like refugees.”
He said he will petition the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change to visit the area so Parliament can budget for affected households.
He cited Bududa as an example where government bought land and relocated flood victims as a permanent solution, and called for a similar intervention in Dokolo.
Acen Josephine of Aoa Village said the flooding is affecting learning and access to other facilities. She said many homes and gardens have been lost.
She noted that the elderly are unable to walk over 7km to access medication at Kwera Health Centre III.
Adero Katherine, 70, a resident of Aoa, said burials have become difficult. “We are now being asked to sign an MOU before someone can give you land to bury a relative,” she said.
She added that malaria is the most common disease affecting her 9-member household.
Ogwok David said women are struggling to get clean water after the only borehole was submerged, forcing the community to fetch water directly from the lake.
Ayeke David, LC1 Chairperson of Aoa Village, said the village has 88 households. Of these, 27 households have been displaced and 28 are left without any facility.
“Our school-going children are unable to start early morning lessons at Apyennyang Primary School due to transport challenges,” he said.
LC3 Chairperson of Kwera Sub County, Peter Adim Awany, thanked MP Opito for providing the boat.
He, however, appealed to government to provide a permanent solution for flood victims, saying the MP’s donation is only a temporary measure.
Community members said the situation in the affected sub counties requires urgent assessment and long-term climate adaptation support.
