Shs 600bn water project to benefit one million people in Wakiso

What the report says

More than one million people in parts of Wakiso, Mpigi, Kampala and Entebbe are set to benefit from a major water and sanitation project worth €145 million, or about Shs 600 billion, according to The Observer. The Wakiso West Water and Sanitation Project is being carried out by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation on behalf of the government, with funding from Impact Fund Denmark.

The paper reports that the scheme is intended to ease water shortages in fast-growing urban and peri-urban communities, including informal settlements. Plans include a new water treatment plant at Bwerenga on Lake Victoria, with a daily capacity of 62.5 million litres, plus intake systems, pipelines, service reservoirs and pumping stations in several locations. NWSC managing director Silver Mugisha said the project should provide more reliable drinking water to more than one million people, including about 160,000 residents in informal settlements.

The project also includes 941 community water dispensers aimed at improving affordable access for low-income households in underserved areas. The targeted communities named by The Observer include areas in Kiringente, Mpigi Town Council, Kajjansi, Kasanje, Kyengera and Wakiso, as well as a number of informal settlements.

In addition, the project will address sanitation through a decentralised faecal sludge treatment plant at Kajjansi, which is expected to handle at least 400 cubic metres of waste a day. NWSC has already signed a consultancy contract with NIRAS A/S and Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG, supported by local firms, to handle design, bidding documents and construction supervision.