Kayunga gets Shs24 billion for piped water project

Residents of the newly created Busaana Town Council in Kayunga District are breathing a sigh of relief after the government secured funds to extend piped water to their area.

The development comes after the first phase of the project that kicked off in 2018 was completed last year at a cost of Shs12b despite facing a setback due to cash flow constraints, leading to a delay in its completion.
It supplies clean and safe water from River Nile to Kasana area in Busaana Sub-county.

Although residents in Kayunga Town have a piped water system, it is always on and off while those in Busaana use water from boreholes and unprotected sources.

Mr Alex Twinomucunguzi, the assistant commissioner urban water in the Ministry of Water and Environment, said under the second phase of the project, government secured Shs24b from African Development Bank (ADB) under the Strategic Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project to extend water from Kasana area to Busaana and Kayunga Towns.

“Because of the growing population, the current piped water system for Kayunga Town is not sufficient and we project that in five years, these towns will have a population of about 100,000 people,” Mr Twinomucunguzi said during the handover of the second phase of the project to the contractor, VAMBECO Enterprises Limited, on Wednesday.

He said a transmission line will be constructed from Bugobero Village in Busaana Sub-county while reservoir tanks to supply the entire area would be constructed at Kaazi, Bugadu, Kyampisi and Kiwangula villages.

Ntenjeru North MP, Mr Amos Lugoloobi, advised that the piped water project should also be extended to the semi-arid areas of Bbaale and Galilaaya sub-counties.

This, Mr Lugoloobi said, would enable residents get water for their animals to drink during long dry spells where they lose their herds due to lack of drinking water.

He said when the piped water system reaches Kayunga and Busaana, it would also be extended to Nakifuma and Kabimbiri townships in Mukono District.

Mr V. Vavathagh, the director VAMBECO Enterprises Limited, called for cooperation from local leaders and residents and promised good work.

Waster scarcity in some parts of Kayunga has partly been blamed for the increasing cases of defilement and teenage pregnancies as girls trek long distances to fetch water.

Currently, the water coverage in the district stands at 71 per cent with about 11 per cent of the population having access to piped water, according to Robert Drate, the district water officer.

However, the 2014 National Population and Housing Census reveal that only 256 households in the district have piped water, while 20,854 households draw water from boreholes.

Most of the households with access to piped water are in Kayunga, Kangulumira and Nazigo Towns.