KCC installs safe water sources
Nov 08, 2005
<b>Catherine Ntabadde</b><br><br>As rains set in, the rate at which spring wells get contaminated is expected to be high especially in the informal settlements. To ensure that city residents have access to safe water, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and Kampala City Council (KCC), t
Catherine Ntabadde
As rains set in, the rate at which spring wells get contaminated is expected to be high especially in the informal settlements. To ensure that city residents have access to safe water, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and Kampala City Council (KCC), through the Kampala Urban Sanitation Project (KUSP), have installed a number of taps.
However, there are residents in slums who still consume water from springs. For better health, residents should not draw water from spring wells because of the dangers of contamination. Water from wells might seem to be clean but it is not safe for drinking or cooking. It can however be used for other domestic chores.
Through KUSP, 85 spring wells in the urban poor parishes of Kampala have been protected to reduce the levels of contamination, which is always on the surface. City residents have to stop dumping garbage, building houses or pit latrines near spring water sources to reduce contamination.
Residents must draw water from taps installed by NWSC and KUSP.
Under the KUSP project, 350 water stand pipes have been installed in 35 parishes of Kampala. KUSP is funded by the French government, the Uganda government and KCC. Caretakers of water stand pipes installed under KUSP should charge a reasonable fee so that residents can access safe water.
It has been discovered that most landlords in the city do not construct latrines for their tenants.
Limited access to latrines has greatly affected the sanitation in the city. That is why one of KUSP’s goals is to improve human excreta disposal by constructing 175 public toilets. Water drawn from taps can be contaminated if kept in dirty containers.
When water is boiled, it must be kept in a clean covered container to prevent contamination. When drawing water from a storage container, residents are advised to use separate vessels.
Drinking water directly from the storage container is unhealthy.
Residents should always use a separate cup to drink from. People tend to ignore the issue of washing hands. Children and adults always have to wash their hands with soap after using a latrine or handling children’s faeces, before eating and before preparing food. City residents should know that children’s faeces are as dangerous as adults’ faeces. To avoid outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea in your area, discourage children from defecting anywhere. Disposing off human waste in channels and polythene bags spreads diseases. It is all our responsibility to ensure that we exercise personal hygiene and good dumping habits to stay in a safe, healthy and clean environment.
The writer is media executive,
Vantage Communications Ltd
As rains set in, the rate at which spring wells get contaminated is expected to be high especially in the informal settlements. To ensure that city residents have access to safe water, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and Kampala City Council (KCC), through the Kampala Urban Sanitation Project (KUSP), have installed a number of taps.
However, there are residents in slums who still consume water from springs. For better health, residents should not draw water from spring wells because of the dangers of contamination. Water from wells might seem to be clean but it is not safe for drinking or cooking. It can however be used for other domestic chores.
Through KUSP, 85 spring wells in the urban poor parishes of Kampala have been protected to reduce the levels of contamination, which is always on the surface. City residents have to stop dumping garbage, building houses or pit latrines near spring water sources to reduce contamination.
Residents must draw water from taps installed by NWSC and KUSP.
Under the KUSP project, 350 water stand pipes have been installed in 35 parishes of Kampala. KUSP is funded by the French government, the Uganda government and KCC. Caretakers of water stand pipes installed under KUSP should charge a reasonable fee so that residents can access safe water.
It has been discovered that most landlords in the city do not construct latrines for their tenants.
Limited access to latrines has greatly affected the sanitation in the city. That is why one of KUSP’s goals is to improve human excreta disposal by constructing 175 public toilets. Water drawn from taps can be contaminated if kept in dirty containers.
When water is boiled, it must be kept in a clean covered container to prevent contamination. When drawing water from a storage container, residents are advised to use separate vessels.
Drinking water directly from the storage container is unhealthy.
Residents should always use a separate cup to drink from. People tend to ignore the issue of washing hands. Children and adults always have to wash their hands with soap after using a latrine or handling children’s faeces, before eating and before preparing food. City residents should know that children’s faeces are as dangerous as adults’ faeces. To avoid outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea in your area, discourage children from defecting anywhere. Disposing off human waste in channels and polythene bags spreads diseases. It is all our responsibility to ensure that we exercise personal hygiene and good dumping habits to stay in a safe, healthy and clean environment.
The writer is media executive,
Vantage Communications Ltd