Nansana goes without water for weeks

"For some time, I have been waking up at 5:00am to fetch water to for cooking, drinking, bathing, etc. However, I have given up. I have decided to buy from vendors," said Sharon Nimusiima, a resident of Kabumbi, Nansana municipality in Wakiso district.

Nimusiima and her family are some of the people trying to cope with water scarcity ever since their supply pipes were damaged by a grader that was working on one of the roads in the municipality.

She said she has to buy water from vendors because they supply clean water, yet if she sent her children, they would fetch dirty water from the streams and swamp because it a shorter distance.

Nimusiima said sometimes it takes her children about three hours to get the water from the spring because there are long queues.

Adyeri Baara, also a resident of the area, said it is quite expensive buying water every day.

"I buy a jerry can of water at sh700 and sometimes at sh1,000. I have to buy six jerry cans in a day for three weeks now, it is hard for me to keep on," she said.

Adyeri also said this is not the first time their area has had water shortage only that this has lasted a long time.

However, Muwereza Kisakye, a water vendor, said this has presented a business opportunity for him. He said he has earned money, which has enabled him to pay school fees for his children.

"I sell at least 80 jerrycans of water and carry on my bicycle. My peers have bicycles, but they have not thought of fetching and selling water. This is a job that does not require any capital, but just hard work," he said.

Kisakye who supplies over 30 homes and carries only six filled jerry cans at a time, said he only gets challenges on weekends since there are many children fetching water from the same spring. He says the demand also goes down because parents send their children for water rather than buying.

"This job will end as soon as the water is reconnected, it is a dying job and that is why I am working so hard when I still can," he said.

According to Joseph Serwada, the chairperson of Kabumbi, said the water scarcity is due to poor planning and programme changes.

"Initially, this place was not included on the water programme, but as the population increased, we added it to the minor supply tank. That is why they always have water scarcity," he said.

Serwada added that he had contacted National Water and Sewerage Corporation and they said they will have an alternative supply.

Rose Wambuzi, a Commercial Assistant at NWSC branch in Nansana, said the organisation is working hard to restore the supply.

"We have finished laying pipes in most areas and some have been restored and those who haven't should wait because we are doing our best to see that the shortage does not last longer," she added.

According to Tom Mbazira, the branch manager for NWSC, over 400 metres of the estimated 950 metres have been trenched and 50% of the pipes have been laid.

"We have started digging and trenching in areas where the grader has finished working. Whichever part we trench, we lay pipes and we hope that the work will be finished within three to four days," he concluded.