Water shortage hits Mbale Town
Residents queue at a well in Nkoma Ward, Mbale Town, on Monday. PHOTO BY CHRISPUS MUKE
Residents of Mbale Municipality have been forced to trek long distances coupled with spending many hours at wells as water shortage worsens in the district.
Ms Sarah Nandudu, a resident of Nkoma Ward in Northern Division, said she has spent several days without water in her home.
“When I sent my children to fetch water at the well, they spent a day in the queue and they returned with only two jerrycans of 20 litres, which is not enough,” she said yesterday.
Ms Agnes Nambozo, another resident, said spending hours at the water points has affected her other programmes.
The effect
“I spend much time looking for water and because of this, I cannot do other domestic chores at home in time,” she said.
Ms Nambozo added that a 20-litre jerrycan of water now is being sold at Shs500, which she said is not affordable to many.
The National Water Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) area engineer, Mr Bruno Emmanuel Musiimenta, attributed the scarcity to the prolonged dry spell.
“The water levels have gone down at our water stations due to the prolonged dry spell. We are trying to rationalise and maximise to see that everyone gets some water,” he said.
Mr Musiimenta explained that during the dry spell, several rivers and lakes that supply water to the main pump station at Manafwa completely dry up, which affects their operations.
