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Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Hundreds of Luwero sub-county and town council residents continue to grapple with unreliable water supply as a proposed water treatment plant wastes away.
In the 1970s, the government of former President Idd Amin purchased 1.5 acres of land and embarked on the construction of a water plant to treat water from a swamp located at Kanyogogga village in Luwero sub-county. The government also laid pipes from the village to Luwero town’s main supply.
The water plant was intended to supply water to the Luwero town council and several villages in the Luwero sub-county. However, during the National Resistance Army war of 1981-1986, the facility was abandoned.
Richard Ssimbwa the LCV Chairman of Luwero sub-county explained that five years ago, unknown persons vandalized the facility and stole the pipes and metallic bars before they sold them to construction sites in Luwero town.
Ssimbwa says that the building that was supposed to host the plant is now occupied by squatters and others dilapidated.
To guard the government land, Ssimbwa said that they had resolved to plant eucalyptus trees until the district revived the project.
Matayo Lubowa a resident of Kanyogogga village said they have appealed to the district to take over the water plant in vain forcing residents to use the land for growing coffee and other crops.
Expedito Ntege, another resident of Kanyogogga village, said that the community has also abandoned the swamp because the water is too dirty for home use.
Ntege said that they want the government to renovate the water plant to address the acute water shortage and Luwero town council.
Eddie Zziwa the District councillor for Luwero sub-county said that due to population increase, there was a need to redevelop the facility to address water shortage in the area.
Zziwa said the district can construct only eight boreholes every financial year, which is not enough to address the water shortage; hence, the facility needs to be redeveloped for bigger coverage.
Joseph Kanyike, the Luwero District Water officer, said that the district council passed a resolution to hand over the land at Kanyogogga and Nakazzi villages to the National Water and Sewerage Corporation to redevelop water production wells and increase the water supply in the town council and nearby villages.
Kanyike said that however the National Water and Sewerage Corporation was asked to commit in writing that apart from the production wells, they will also construct a public toilet in exchange for free land.
“Right now we are waiting for NWSC to send us a commitment letter so that we sign a transfer for two plots of land. The squatters on the land are aware that it belongs to the district and they agreed to leave when they need it to redevelop the project.” Kanyike said.
Daniel Mugoya, the Manager NWSC Luwero branch was unavailable to comment on the matter.
In 2013, NWSC, to the excitement of residents, took over the management of the water supply in Luweero town. This was after a five-year management contract for a private firm, Trandit Uganda Limited, expired.
However close to 12 years later, unreliable water supply has persisted in the town council leaving the residents disappointed.
Currently, NWSC rations the water supply in Luwero and Wobulenzi town council due to low supply from its production wells and water reservoir located at Nsozi Biri village in Luwero sub-county.
Several residents now fetch water from boreholes and open wells of which many are contaminated by faecal matter. According to the Luwero District Health Report, at least 10,757 people were treated for acute diarrhoea in the financial year 2023/24, the cases were partly attributed to drinking dirty water.
In 2022, the NWSC Board visited the town council where the residents decried unreliable water before they committed to addressing the matter but to date, the challenge has persisted.
The redevelopment of the water plant at Kanyogogga village is seen as a step towards increasing and ensuring reliable supply.
Nakasongola town council is also facing a water shortage after Luweero Industries Limited, a subsidiary of the National Enterprises Corporation, refused to hand over the water treatment plant constructed during President Amin’s government.
The Army outfit cited security concerns for resisting the transfer because it is located on land belonging to Nakasongola Military Barracks.
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