Mbale buildings posing a health threat, says NWSC

Apr 11, 2015

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) fears Mbale town could be awaiting a catastrophic disease outbreak as a result of a compromised drainage system.

By David Oduut

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) fears Mbale town could be awaiting a catastrophic disease outbreak as a result of a compromised drainage system.


NWSC blames Mbale Municipal Authorities for being reluctant to demolish a number of buildings that have been constructed on sewer lines. This raises fears of outbreak of diseases like cholera and typhoid once sewage bursts onto the streets.

In 2012 cholera killed at least 24 people and 63 others were hospitalized in the Mbale suburbs of Namatala, Busamaga, Namakwekwe, Mooni, Doko and Namanyonyi.

This was then blamed on NWSC for failure to fix a dilapidated sewerage system that sent human waste flowing on the streets of Mbale town.



Now, according to Ekanya E. Pbalangu, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation Manager Mbale area, a number of buildings in the Municipality sit on sewer lines making maintenance of sewer pipelines difficult.

“Some buildings in Mbale have been directly erected on our sewer lines. This soon will cause a massive blockage that will yield into something catastrophic,” says Ekanya.

He highlighted North Road and taxi park areas as the worst affected places as some buildings in these places sit on the main sewer line.

Ekanya said: “Mostly we fight to remove silt , polythene bags and sand that blocks the  flow of sewage.”



But he fears as rains intensify, it will become impossible for NWSC to remove substance that stack in pipes lying under buildings.

Ekanya said much as Mbale Municipal authority now consults them before construction is done, some buildings have been constructed on sewer lines and therefore need to be pulled down to save eliminate the threat.

On Thurday business owners at Mbale Taxi Park demonstrated along Manafwa Road after corrosive stench chased away commuters. This was after sewage busted and flowed into the park.

However, in the transformation to city status bid, Mbale municipal council recently launched a campaign to pull down all illegal structures while targeting mostly those built on sewer lines.

Edward Lwanga, the town clerk Mbale Municipal council in an interview, said the committee is determined to remove all illegal structures especially those built on sewer lines.

“This time we have resolved that all buildings erected without the approval of the municipal physical plan will be pulled down; this is where the category of those built on sewer lines falls,” Lwanga said

He said to show their determination, a perimeter wall of Hotel Palm Limited in industrial division and Hajji Boto’s building at Market Street have served the example. He emphasized that others still on sewer lines are to follow suit.

Lwanga added that other health measures have also been initiated to mitigate disease out break that would arise as rains intensify.

“We have adopted a door to door strategy for garbage collection," the town clerk said adding that there is also a team that picks polythene bags paper and rubbish off the street on a daily basis.

"We believe this will reduce blockage of drainage channels,” Lwanga stressed.
 

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