By Camila Eunice
The water crisis that hit Luweero Town Council in Luweero District for more than seven days is to be addressed next week, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has said.
The revelation comes at a time when the users are counting the eighth day without water running on their taps.
The problem has since triggered immense pressure on the available boreholes.
The water vendors who have been on normal days selling a 20-litre jerry can at shs500 have during this crisis been prompted to hike it to between shs1, 000 to shs1, 500.
Speaking to The Homeland Newspaper, Shamim Nakatende a water vendor who uses her bicycle in Kiwogozi Zone says that she charges depending on where the user is located from the borehole where she collects the water from.
“I charge depending on the distance. Those who are very near here, I charge only shs500 but those who are far like half a kilometer, I charge shs1,000 you see this water is very heavy, when you push it for long distances you easily get exhausted,” she said.
Contacted for a comment, Daniel Mugoya, the Manager NWSC Luweero branch said that by the end of this week, the water will be flowing normally.
“We had an issue with pumping water but we have deployed a team on ground which is working on the problem. We are about to start stabilizing,” he said
The water crisis reoccurs in Luweero after certain periods.
For instance, early September this year (2023) water consumers in Luweero Town Council faced a dire situation after a full week with dry taps.
The development triggered a significant challenge for residents and businesses alike, as they struggled to find water for various purposes.
With the taps running dry, some individuals resorted to purchasing water from vendors who draw it from boreholes.
However, this increased demand led to a surge in prices, with the cost of a 20-litre jerry can rising from Shillings 500 to 1,000.
When contacted about the persistent problem, Ronald Kisakye, the then Manager of the NWSC Luweero Branch stated in a text that the issue had been related to inconsistent power supply.
Relatedly, in October 2021, a faulty motor and intermittent power supply exacerbated the water shortage.
Kisaakye revealed that the problem had begun on October 5th, 2021, following a widespread power outage caused by heavy rainfall and strong winds.
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