By HOMELAND MEDIA TEAM
Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa has revealed that Parliament will support National Water and Sewerage Corporation(NWSC) to continue with its agenda of “Water for all” initiative as long as there is value for money and water.
Tayebwa made the remarks during the launch of the Rwenkureiju Water Supply Scheme in Bushenyi district which was supervised by the Ministry of Water and Environment.
The project was later handed over to the NWSC Deputy Managing Director Technical Services Eng. Johnson Amayo.
Bushenyi is currently served by NWSC, with the current water supply system dependent on two main water sources including Nyaruzinga dam located on Bushenyi-bumbaire road and Kitagata source located in Sheema district Kitagata town.
The district has two conventional water treatment plants in Kitagata and Nyaruzinga with production capacities of 3000m3/day and 1000m3/day respectively and OD (1/2”) – OD 315 (12”) pipelines.
The current water demand in Bushenyi currently stands at about 6000m3/day which implies that there is a big deficit in water supply.
While speaking to the project beneficiaries in the area, Tayebwa said the project was for the people and must protect the infrastructure hence praising NWSC for helping to connect water to several urban centres in the area.
He told the community that the water isn’t free because it has to be pumped, treated and distributed to the community.
Using the jerrycan model, Tayebwa explained that at community level NWSC supplies a 20ltr jerry can at 25shs.
In the same event the Deputy Speaker met the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the 11th parliament headed by the deputy chairperson of the committee, Emely Kugonza where they applauded the corporation for the great work it is doing across the western region and the rest of the country.
The Committee promised to intensify efforts to deepen water coverage in the district and will be stepping up efforts to ensure the fast delivery of water projects in the area.
In a bid to improve water supply services within the region, the government through NWSC as part of its commitment towards increased provision of safe water supply and adequate sanitation to all Ugandans, has committed funds towards the improvement of water supply Services in Bushenyi.
The current raw water sources are highly encroached on and dry up in the dry season making the water supply network overstretched. Bushenyi’s geographical terrain is unsuitable for a single water treatment system and due to the above challenges a proposed Water Supply Augmentation Project is in the pipeline.
The Project will be targeting a population of about 150,600 people residing in Kyamuhunga, Kakanju, Ruhumuro and Bitooma.
The team visited the Kitagata Water Treatment Plant which was a project implemented as part of the Water Management Development Project (WMDP).
The project has a capacity of 3,150m3/day and was completed in December 2018. The Members of Parliament planted trees which was in line with the NWSC 10 million tree campaign which aims to take corrective measures to aid ecological sustainability and manage natural resources appropriately.
NWSC recommended that the water supply agents should sell to the community at 50shs however, the community members said they were ready to pay 100shs per 20ltr jerrycan because there wasn’t water nor safe water before.
For people who can’t afford the 50shs per 20ltr jerrycan could still get water from protected springs and boreholes. The water supply system which pumps 8m3/hr of water will serve a population of 2600 people in villages Rwebitunda, Rwenkurizo A & B, Rugarama, Karokarungi A & B and Kashesha.
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