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Poor water quality irks Lyantonde residents
Health hazard. Patrick Karwemire, a resident of Kabisi village in Lyantonde District, at a pond where both residents and cattle share water. PHOTO BY CLEOPHAS TUKAMARWA.
Residents who use piped water supplied by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Lyantonde District have expressed concern about the poor quality of the water in the last three weeks.
The affected residents in Lyantonde Town Council and other areas said they had informed the NWSC officials in Lyantonde Town about the issue.
Ms Dorothy Namukasa, a councillor representing workers at the district council, said: “We fear that the foul smell from the water supplied by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation could put the lives of the residents at risk. The foul smell is unexplainable. We seek the intervention of the concerned officials at NWSC,” she said at the weekend.
Residents said they are spending more on getting water from other service providers such as private water reservoirs.
But NWSC officials in Lyantonde Town said the problem originates from the Kakyera Swamp, the water source, which got flooded.
“We are waiting for the water levels to recede so that we can clean the area. The flooded area came with lots of decomposing material that can only be cleaned when the floods recede. We shall have to clean the swamp to get clear water. We are treating the water but cannot do away with the smell,” Mr Andrew Muhumuza, the NWSC area manager for Lyantonde , told this publication on Monday.
Lyantonde District has a safe water accessibility standing at 44 percent with a total of 637 domestic water points that serve a population of 53, 214.
