Kampala's water woes: NWSC battles distribution challenges

The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has revealed that it's facing significant challenges in providing water to some areas of Kampala, citing pipe network distribution and hydraulic constraints as the main culprits.

"Some pipes are too small, and despite having water in the tanks, it's not reaching the people," explained Eng Silver Mugisha, NWSC's Managing Director. "We need to rationalise the distribution network to solve this problem."

The affected areas include parts of Wakiso, Nansana, Kawempe, Matugga, Mutungo, and Bunamwaya, among others. However, there's hope on the horizon. The government has allocated a whopping Shs374 billion to improve water distribution in these areas through the Water Distribution Improvement Project, set to commence soon.

"This loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) will be used to upgrade our infrastructure and ensure that water reaches every household," Eng Mugisha assured.

Speaking at the launch of NWSC's three-year development plan on Friday, Eng Mugisha expressed optimism that the project would solve the water problems in the affected areas. He also acknowledged that water availability challenges persist in other upcountry towns, especially during the dry season, but assured that the corporation is working to enhance water production.

NWSC currently serves 19 million Ugandans with 953,000 connections and aims to increase this to 24 million by 2027 and 32 million in the next decade. However, the corporation faces other challenges like water theft, systemic meter inaccuracies, and water leakages in road construction, which account for significant losses.

"Water theft alone accounts for 5 per cent of our losses, while meter inaccuracies and water leakages account for 8 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively," Eng Mugisha revealed. "We're working hard to address these challenges and ensure that every Ugandan has access to safe and reliable water."