Govt unveils Shs3b solar water project on Bussi Island

Bussi Island in Wakiso District have a reason to smile after the government extended a Shs3.3b piped solar water project to the area.

The project has so far benefitted at least 3,000 households in the villages of Kiwande ,Gombe, Nakusaza, Bwayise, Kisaba, Bugera, Kinywante, Gulwe and Bubajja.

While speaking to the beneficiaries on Tuesday, Local Government Minister  Raphael  Magyezi said islands are the most vulnerable communities which need safe water to prevent people from contracting waterborne diseases.

“I congratulate you upon getting this safe water but reduce the rates. We don’t want our people to run to the lake because they cannot afford this water,” Mr Magyezi said.

This was after learning that a 20-litre jerry can costs Shs100, which, according to the minister is still unaffordable for the rural community.

Mr Isaac Galabuzi, a senior engineer-in-charge of water in Wakiso District, said the piped water solar supply system started in 2017 to ensure that islanders in Bussi have access to safe water and sanitation.

“The design of the project contains Shs5.5 billion but so far Shs3.3 billion has been used. The process began with drilling of the production borehole, construction of in-take works, which included a solar package and a pumping station,” Mr Galabuzi said.

He said the pumping station has an office and a guard house and water is piped to a reservoir tank of 200,000 litres by an 18 kilowatt pump.

The pump propels water of a minimum of 20,000 litres per hour.

He said being a solar-powered project, the changing weather affects it and reduces the pumping hours, but they hope to connect to electricity in the event of poor weather so that water can be available all the time .

Mr Galabuzi said before the project was extended to Bussi, residents used to purchase a 20-litre jerry can at shs500.

“We thought that Shs100 was a reasonable fee for a 20–litre jerry can, but since the minister is saying it is too much, we are going to sit down and see how we can reduce it further,” he said.

The district has so far constructed 21 public standpipes with around 69 private taps on Bussi Island.

Mr Galabuzi hopes that by next year, Bussi Island alone will have 100 percent water coverage.

Mr Galabuzi said they chose Bussi because the island’s lowest water coverage of 21 percent by 2017 and a year behind the area had been hit by Cholera which killed a number of people. “Before the central government intervened, they were using shallow wells and some people were directly drinking lake water which is not safe,” he said.

The water is pumped from a production borehole that generates 20,000 litres per hour.

Mr Alfred Malinga, the Wakiso Chief Administrative Officer, said more Shs700m has been earmarked for extending safe water to other villages on Bussi Island in the next financial year.

 “Let us start planning such that in the subsequent years, all institutions including schools and health facilities in this area get access to clean water,” he said

Mr Charles Mukalazi Ssenkandwa, the chairperson of Bussi Sub-county , applauded the government for protising provision of   clean and safe water in the area.

“We have been experiencing bilharzia, typhoid and we recently had cholera on the island. But with clean water, all those risks are going to be reduced.” he said

He said Bussi   Island has a water coverage of 25 percent, but with the new water project, coverage has reached 65 percent. “ I ask  the district local authorities to also  extend clean water even to other islands such as Zzinga and Kave Nyanja where water coverage is still very low at 25 percent,” he added.

Beneficiaries speak

Ms Prossy Namugenyi, a resident of Kiwande, said she has started earning money from selling clean water. “The water is very clean and safe and this is a step in the right direction as we move to improve our standard of living,”

Ms Violet Kwagalakwe, a resident of Bwayise, said: “The water is good, but they still need to reduce the rates because some people sell a 20-litre jerry can at Shs200.

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