Masaka city receives UGX 250b to boost water supply

MASAKA – The National Water and Sewerage Corporation-NWSC had earmarked 250 million Shillings to boost its supply capacity in Masaka District.

Engineer Jackson Nimusiima, the NWSC zonal Manager for Masaka says they are undertaking a project that will enable them to expand their network, to address the current water supply shortages in the area.

The multi-billion project which will start in July is part of the 120 million Euros loan, which the government obtained from the French Development Agency-AFD, to finance the South Western Cluster Water and Sanitation Development Project.

Nimusiima indicates that the project is going to boost the supply capacity to 24,000 cubic meters per day from the current volume of 8,000 M3 per day.

According to Nimusiima, the project is going to facilitate the construction of a new supply plant that will directly draw water from Lake Victoria at Bukakata landing site, to the different pump stations and a new broad network covering the whole of Masaka City.

Nimusiima explains they are targeting to extend their services to at least 350,000 people, who could not be served with the existing network that was laid down in the 1970s.  He says the existing water supply system is overwhelmed by the ever-growing need, which is apparently prompted them to resort to rationing of the water supply hence affecting the reliability of the services.

Besides expanding the supply of water capacity, he indicates that the project also includes the construction of a new sewerage treatment plant that can cater to the growing population size the area has realized.

The project comes at a time when the current NWSC main water source for Masaka at Nabajuzi wetland is facing serious threats arising from encroachment, silting, pollution, and other human activities.

Engineer Phillipe Vullien, the Project Technical Supervisor indicate the construction works will be completed in two years. According to him, the new system will pump water at a distance of about 41 kilometers from the main source in Bukakata landing site.

Florence Namayanja, the Masaka City Mayor is optimistic that on completion, the new project will help to improve the general sanitation levels of the town. She indicates that due to the unreliable supply of piped water by NWSC, some people had resorted to the drilling of boreholes and underground water tanks, which interferes with the topography of the town.