NWSC to increase water supply by 50%

By Edward Kayiwa

The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has said it has completed the construction of the first of three new water reservoirs, which will boost water supply in the city suburbs by more than 50%.

According to Johnson Amayo, the deputy managing director of NWSC, the eight million litre reservoir at Namasuba, will be tested for water tightness this week.

He said if it does not leak, supply will start immediately.

The other two at Kanyanya and Katosi will be constructed immediately after, Amayo said and all the projects are estimated at Euros 240million (about sh895.2b).

By Friday, the corporation was laying underground water pipes connecting the reservoir to the Ggaba water works.

“The new pipeline will also supply 50 million litres of water daily from NWSC reservoirs at Namasuba to stabilise the supply to the areas of Namasuba, Ndejje, Lubowa, Zzana, Mutundwe, Bunamwaya and Kyengera,” Amayo said.

The projects are part of a project intended to end ‘dry zones’ in Kampala’s suburbs by the end of 2018.

Dry zones are areas that experience inconsistent supply of water from NWSC water lines.

The NWSC estimates put the demand for water in Kampala and its suburbs at 210 million litres per day, although the corporation is only able to produce 180 million litres, leaving a deficit of more than 30 million litres per day.

“These facilities at Namasuba, Kanyaya and Katosi will increase the water supply to 250 million litres per day to match the current demand,” Amayo said.

The project, whose main aim is to improve the living conditions of the people residing in the greater Kampala metropolitan area through provision of safe and reliable water supply, is being executed in seven phases which are at different stages of implementation.

“The first phase of the project is almost complete because we are only left with water tightness test to do at the eight million litre capacity plant in Namasuba next week, before it is officially launched in September,” said Isaac Arinaitwe, the senior manager of Kampala water infrastructure development.

Amayo and other officials of NWSC toured the Namasuba facility on Friday to ascertain the progress made by the contractor, Sogea-Satom.

According to Amayo, the Katosi treatment plant will add 120 million litres to the water supply by the end of 2018. He said NWSC expanded its operations from 23 towns three years ago, to 110, which put a lot of pressure to increase and improve its facilities.

“This has forced us to source for loan of Euro150 million (about sh559.5b) with a grant of Euro 90million (about sh335.7b) million to build these facilities and upgrade works at the Ggaba treatment complex to increase its supply capacity from 55 million litres to 80 million litres per day,” Amayo said.