City water shortage blamed on repairs

Aug 26, 2008

SOME parts of Kampala have been experiencing a water shortage for two days. The shortage has mainly hit the suburbs of Kireka, Ntinda, Kiwatule, Naalya, Kulambiro, Naguru, Kololo, Namugongo and Kyaliwajjala.

By Patrick Jaramogi

SOME parts of Kampala have been experiencing a water shortage for two days. The shortage has mainly hit the suburbs of Kireka, Ntinda, Kiwatule, Naalya, Kulambiro, Naguru, Kololo, Namugongo and Kyaliwajjala.

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) general manager Andrew Sekayizzi yesterday attributed the shortage to the on-going repairs on the main pipes at Bunga hill.

Sekayizzi said: “We are fixing new pipes so as to minimise future water shortages. We have worked on the transmission pipe for two days.”
He said the company was conducting periodical maintenance of their pipes when they discovered the pipes needed to be replaced.

Sekayizzi said the main pipe supplied their reservoir on Naguru hill which caters for over 300,000 clients. NWSC, the main distributor of water in Kampala, has three reservoirs on Muyenga Tank Hill, Nakasero Hill and Naguru.

Eng. Ronald Kankya, the area manager for Kampala, said: “The Naguru reservoir has a capacity of 4,000 cubic metres. But because it supplies water to many people, the tank runs dry three hours after we stop pumping water.”

The water shortage has left thousands of households scrambling for water. Scores of people, mainly women and children in Naguru barracks, Ntinda, Kamwokya and Kulambiro, were yesterday seen carrying jerrycans of water from protected public wells.

Sekayizzi assured the public that the water was due to be reconnected yesterday evening. By yesterday afternoon, test-pumping had started.
He said once complete, the repairs would make it possible for the residents of Kampala to have a constant water supply.

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