Kumi NWSC decries vandalism, illegal connection

Officials in charge of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Kumi Branch, have raised concern over increasing cases of vandalism and illegal connection.

They accuse residents of deliberately cutting water pipes that pass through their farms to cause leakages.
Mr Steven Tusabe, the head of the engineering service department, said the leakages have led to abnormal losses.

“NWSC Kumi branch supplies water for commercial purposes on behalf of the government but so far, we have registered an abnormal 20 percent loss in Kumi, Ngora and Pallisa districts,” Mr Tusabe said.

He said vandalism has been frequent in Nyero Town Council, especially in Magoro Village while illegal connections have been sighted in Olianai Cell and in Komolo Village in Palisa District.

The officer said occasional attempts to sensitise people through radio and drives have not yielded results.
“We always talk on radio and sometimes we go around on drives but people are not listening, they have remained stubborn,” Mr said.

NWSC last month suspended the supply of water to Nyero-Omagoro village for three weeks.
Mr Tusabe said they spend a lot of time and resources making repairs.   

On October 4, NWSC officials reported a case of illegal connection to Nyero Police Station against one of the residents.

The officer-in-charge of the station, Mr John Adilo, said the case is still under investigation but acknowledged that NWSC’s claims are genuine.

However, Mr Josh Okello, a resident, told Daily Monitor that sometimes pipes get damaged while they are digging.
“Those pipes were not buried deep, that’s why it’s common that they get cut when people are cultivating with oxen or digging,” Mr Okello added.

The Nyero councillor, Mr Solomon Itiakorit, alias Sadam, urged the residents to be vigilant and report all cases of leakages to the authorities.

NWSC Kumi branch covers Kumi, Ngora and Palisa districts.
Currently, they supply 600 cubic metres of water pulled from Agu, a tributary of Lake Kyoga on Ngora-Serere road to Kumi, 400 cubic metres to Ngora and 200 cubic metres to Palisa District.

The Kumi District vice chairperson, Mr Sam Akol, urged the public to guard the water pipes jealously and tasked them to follow the right water connection procedures.

Earlier, residents used to trek long distances in search of water, especially during drought.

In 2018, government offered close to Shs20b to establish piped water projects in Kumi through Ngora and Nyero rock paintings to reduce the challenges of water scarcity.

The water plant was commissioned by President Museveni in 2019.