Acute water shortage hits Gulu
Efforts. A girl fetches water at a well in Omel Village, Paicho Sub-county in Gulu District yesterday. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OKELLO
What you need to know:
- Ongoing water projects. Last year, Dr Silver Mugisha, the NWSC managing director, noted that they have constructed six motorised bore holes within Gulu Municipality that would be used to pump 2,500 cubic meters of water per day to residents during the dry spell.
An acute water shortage has hit several parts of Gulu Municipality after a transmission pipe burst.
The pipe, which belongs to the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), burst after being damaged by an excavator during the ongoing road construction opposite SOS Children’s Village on Moroto Road in Pece Division.
Zhongemei Engineering Construction Company is currently undertaking the roadworks funded by the World Bank.
The incident has left hundreds of people, offices and hotels with no running water for the last two days.
The most affected are Laroo and Pece divisions.
Mr Stephen Gang, the NWSC Gulu branch manager, yesterday said they had to close the line to avoid wastage.
He said a quarter of the population in the town has been affected but added that their technicians are working to resolve the matter.
“Our pipelines were damaged by road contractors working on Moroto road. We are, however, on the ground working on it,” Mr Gang said.
He assured residents that they have water in their reservoir but noted that they are only challenged by the ongoing roadworks where some pipes are being changed.
“We don’t have problem with water; it is the ongoing road works that is affecting our supply. When the pipes are damaged, we cannot do anything but to work on it and resume the supply later,” he said.
The water shortage has forced a number of residents to turn to boreholes and spring wells.
Ms Doreen Angwech, a housewife in Laroo Division, said the water shortage has forced her to start waking up early to beat long queues at the well in the area. “Many people are coming from several parts of the town to fetch water here. Unlike the tap water that cost just Shs200 per jerry can, we are now paying Shs500 for a jerry can at the well because of high demand,” Ms Angwech said yesterday.
Ms Mitiriwe Mable, a milk vendor, said since the water shortage began, she is spending Shs12,000 per day to buy water, which is transported by boda boda.
Recent case
Gulu Municipality has been experiencing water shortage since last year when World Kaihatsu Kogyo Co Ltd began constructing the 5.3km road funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
The road engineers have been changing most of the water lines in the 13 streets in the town, which has left residents to go for days without water.
In 2016 and 2017, there was an acute water shortage within several parts of Gulu Municipality after the main water dams at Oyitino dried due to persistent drought.
Residents within the town consume between five million and six million litres of water per day, according to latest statistics from NWSC.
Assurance by nwsc
Ongoing water projects. Last year, Dr Silver Mugisha, the NWSC managing director, noted that they have constructed six motorised bore holes within Gulu Municipality that would be used to pump 2,500 cubic meters of water per day to residents during the dry spell.
He noted that the water crisis will further be addressed by the ongoing water project that is being funded by government with support from World Bank and KfW, a German development bank, at Shs170 billion.
Under the new project, water will be pumped from River Nile, some 72km away, to a new treatment plant that is currently under construction in the municipality.
