The current water scarcity in many parts of Greater Kampala metropolitan area will be history in three months time, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) board chairman, Eng. Badru Kiggundu has said.
Kiggundu, the former Electoral Commission chief who was recently appointed to chair the NWSC board, made a vow after touring the Katosi water treatment plant on November 10.
"From an engineer's point of view, I'm confident water from this Katosi plant will be available sooner, and more so around February 2021," Kiggundu, flanked by other board members, stated.
"But as you eagerly wait for this water service, be also eagerly prepared to maintain the service by paying for it so that we are good partners," he added.
The multibillion donor-funded project is expected to pump in 240 million litres of water per day when fully completed. But only about 160 million litres per day will be available after the first phase of constructing the plant. And with this additional volume of supply, NSWC officials say they will completely wipe out dry zones in many parts of urban Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala districts.
NWSC's current water supply of 240 million litres per day from the Ggaba treatment complex is not enough for the city and its surrounding areas. Accordingly, NWSC rations water supply leading to scarcity in places such as Namugongo, Bulindo, Kyaliwajjala, Kira, Kawempe, Kawanda, among others.
The demand for clean piped water in Kampala metropolitan has more than tripled due to fast urban development and increased economic activities over the past two decades. Government officials are optimistic the Katosi plant, estimated to cost €82 million (about Shs 357 billion) will come in handy.
However, Kiggundu's promise of delivering water from the plant to every consumer tap in the next three months remains quite ambitious. There is evidently still a lot of work to be done on the physical infrastructure and at the treatment plant site.
For instance, the 40-plus-kilometre pipeline from the water intake point in Katosi along the shores of Lake Victoria is still being laid. Also, there is more construction work ongoing at the reservoir tanks on Nsumba and Ssonde hills as well as machinery and other equipment yet to be installed at the intake complex.
Samuel Apedel, NWSC corporate affairs manager also reteirated that there will be water from Katosi by February next year because the civil works are now complete.
"We are now left with electro-mechanical work. Fixing pumps and electrical controls. The reservoir in Ssonde is complete. The pumping station in Namugongo is done. The pipeline is substantially complete. We are now doing interconnection work to Naguru reservoir," he said.