Solar pumps to save NWSC millions in power expenditure

National Water and Sewerage Corporation officials launch pre-paid water meters recently. Solar power use, like pre-paid meters, is meant to reduce expenditure. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OTAGE

What you need to know:

Corporation currently pays Shs2 billion in power bills per month

Kampala- National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has announced plans to change its water pumping system at the Ggaba water works from electric to solar powered pumps.

According to Eng Silver Mugisha, the managing director, the new system is expected to reduce the corporation’s monthly energy costs by Shs700 million from the current Shs2 billion the corporation pays in power bills to Shs1.3 billion

While addressing departmental heads and the board during the operationalization of the five year strategic last Friday, Eng Mugisha said the corporation is borrowing technology from Zimbabwe which has enabled the authorities in Zimbabwe to integrate pit latrines into the water and sanitation systems.

“We are bringing this technology on board and we shall institutionalise pit latrines. We want to create decentralized treatment systems so that such technologies can be used for onsite treatment to handle estates with 1,000 housing units,” he said.

Last Friday, the NWSC managers presented to the board action plans to implement the five-year strategic direction in its first year. The key expected results include stabilisation of water supply, extending water and sewerage pipelines and improving the infrastructure as well as ensuring financial stability of the corporation.

The Corporation also intends to increase monthly revenue collections from the current average of Shs16 billion to Shs22 billion per month therefore increasing its annual collections from Shs196 billion to Shs226 billion.

While presenting their departmental action plan, George Okol the chief manager commercial and customer care services this is part of the bi-annual revenue improvement program which has already being implemented.

“We are targeting to reduce government arrears from Shs64 billion to Shs34 billion and we want to reduce the suppressed accounts from 11 percent to 9 percent and we also undertake to convert government accounts to pre-paid so that we reduce government arrears from Shs38 billion to Shs14 billion,” he said.