New projects to improve water supply

By Joyce Nyakato 

National Water and Sewerage Corporation is undertaking a number of projects to improve water supply. Particular focus has been put on major infrastructure expansion and rehabilitation, and performance improvement programmes which will see a substantial increase in the water supply in the coming years.

According to Pheona Wall, the Corporation public relations officer, areas which are problematic dry zones are also going to be covered.

When National Water and Sewerage Corporation was set up, Kampala only covered seven hills. The same infrastructure is being used to serve a Kampala which has expanded to 23 hills. This creates a water problem for people living in the kampala hilly areas.

Kampala Water Lake Victoria Watsan (KW-LVWATSAN) project is aimed at improving water supply services for the Greater Kampala over the next 20 to 30 years. The five-year project already commenced last year.

It entails rehabilitation of the Ggaba water treatment complex, construction of a new water treatment plant in Katosi, network rehabilitation and expansion and for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

This will subsequently see an improvement of water supply and sanitation to the urban poor, and institutional strengthening and building, among others.

The more than sh600b project is financed by the German and French Government (AFD), European Investment Bank, European Union (Infrastructure Trust Fund), and the Government of Uganda.

There is also a Water Management and Development Project, which is still in the preparatory stages, to be funded by the World Bank and Government of Uganda.

The five-year project entails the rehabilitation and expansion of the Arua, Gulu, Bushenyi, and Mbale water supply and sewerage systems, It is being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment, which has earmarked a number of up-country towns to benefit from the same programme.

A key component of this project is the Integrated Water Resources Management, employing a catchment based approach. The project therefore encompasses catchment protection measures in the beneficiary towns.

Under the programme, new sewerage systems are going to be developed in the towns of Arua and Bushenyi. Currently, the corporation is faced with increasing pollution of its water sources.

This is aggravated by the changing climatic conditions and human activities which are starting to have a toll on the dwindling resource.

Apart from increasing the water treatment costs, the sustainability of the raw water resources for future use remains a big threat that needs holistic and collective responsibility and actions.

One of the challenges faces has been the increasing pollution of the raw water sources in most urban centres and municipalities. This is aggravated by the changing climatic conditions and human activities which are starting to have a toll on the dwindling resource.

Apart from increasing the water treatment costs, the sustainability of the raw water resources for future use remains a big threat that needs holistic and multidisciplinary collective responsibility and actions.

The Kampala Sanitation Phase One project is being implemented within the framework of the Kampala Sanitation Masterplan to address the sanitation needs of the growing Kampala city.

It focuses on reducing the pollution load to the environment and Lake Victoria, over the next 20 years. The project entails construction of Lubigi waste water treatment plant which is already ongoing and construction of the Nakivubo waste water treatment plant and the Kinawataka waste water treatment plant.

The Kampala Sanitation - Phase I project estimated to cost sh294b, is financed by the African Development Bank, German Government, European Union, Government of Uganda and NWSC.

The interventions under the project include the treatment of industrial wastes, household and domestic wastes and also, the dry weather flow of the Nakivubo channel, sludge from on-site sanitation facilities, and production of bio-gas, among others.