By Ben Musanje
National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has set a target of increasing water connections to 1.25 million by 2030 as the utility expands its infrastructure and rolls out projects aimed at easing water shortages in towns across Uganda.
NWSC Managing Director Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha said the corporation had increased connections from about 300,000 a decade ago to 1.06 million currently, describing the growth as part of a wider expansion of the national water network.
He was speaking during a media engagement at the corporation’s International Resource Centre in Bugolobi, Kampala, on Friday, following a tour of NWSC projects in Greater Kampala.
Mugisha said the corporation’s main-pipe network had expanded from approximately 6,000 kilometres to 25,000 kilometres over the same period.
The target is to reach 30,000 kilometres within the next five years.
The expansion has also taken NWSC from operating in just 23 towns to serving 290 towns, while the population reached by the corporation has increased from about 4.5 million to 22 million people.
Mugisha said NWSC intends to increase the number of people served to 25 million over the next five years.
He said several projects are being implemented to address persistent water shortages in individual towns.
In Isingiro, NWSC is developing a dedicated water line from Mukazi through Maguno Parish, a project expected to add approximately 2.5 million litres of water per day to the town’s supply.
In Sheema Municipality, Mugisha said NWSC was rationalising the Shuku water treatment plant to enable more reliable, 24-hour water supply.
The municipality receives water from both Shuku and Kitagata waterworks, but the existing system has not been able to adequately meet demand.
In Mbarara, NWSC is laying a dedicated 12-inch pipeline from Ruharo to Bwizibwera after multiple connections to the existing pipeline reduced the amount of water reaching the area.
Mugisha said the new line would significantly improve supply to Bwizibwera.
He said the corporation was also working to address water challenges in Kasese by increasing abstraction from the Wenzowe area.
Fort Portal City, meanwhile, is expected to benefit from a larger waterworks project being developed with financing from the French Development Agency (AFD).
Mugisha said the project was at the detailed-design stage and would ultimately transform water supply in the city, particularly during the dry season.
In Lyantonde, the corporation plans to address water-quality and supply problems caused by the hardness of water drawn from the Kachera swamp.
NWSC intends to extend its intake by about 4.5 kilometres towards Lake Kachera, where it can access softer water and bypass the problematic swamp intake.
Mugisha said the intervention would improve water supply in Lyantonde and the surrounding district.
In Masaka, construction of a new water treatment plant at Bukakata is already underway, with the project estimated to be about 20 per cent complete at the time of the briefing.
The plant is expected to increase the city’s water production.
NWSC is also working to improve supply in Sembabule after a transmission project completed by the Ministry of Water and Environment was connected to the corporation’s system and increased pressure on the existing waterworks.
The utility is considering adding a modular treatment line to expand capacity.
Hoima is another major focus.
Mugisha said NWSC had started constructing a new waterworks on River Kafu that would add about 2,000 cubic metres of water per day to the city’s supply.
The project is intended to provide additional capacity as Hoima prepares for increased economic activity and urban growth.
A larger regional project is also being planned, involving water supply from Masindi Port and extending to Buliisa, Kiryandongo, Masindi and Hoima, among other interconnected urban areas.
Mugisha said several towns in the region are still heavily dependent on boreholes, which are insufficient to meet growing demand.
In Lira, NWSC has added another line at Kachung to increase water supply while the corporation waits for a larger project whose design has already been completed.
Soroti has also received a recently completed project that was undergoing testing, with some defects still being corrected.
In Bukedea, NWSC is sourcing additional water from Angola, while in Mbarara the corporation says the major water-supply challenge has largely been addressed following the introduction of water from the Kagera system.
Mugisha said remaining challenges in Mbarara were largely associated with the defects-liability period of the project.
Arua, however, continues to face seasonal shortages, particularly during the dry season.
NWSC is planning a large dam for the city to provide more reliable water storage and supply.
In Gulu, Mugisha said water supply had been stabilised through abstraction from the River Nile, although rising demand means additional capacity will be required.
The corporation is considering adding another treatment line at the Karuma waterworks rather than constructing an entirely new transmission main.
In Jinja, the Ministry of Water and Environment is adding another clarifier, while NWSC plans to strengthen pumping capacity.
The corporation also intends to convert an existing gravity-flow transmission main into a forced main to increase supply to Iganga, Kaliro and Mayuge.
Tororo has received new pumps that have improved supply, but Mugisha said the improvement was still insufficient.
A larger regional project financed by Japan is being planned for the area.
Other projects mentioned by the MD included ongoing interventions in Kanungu, Kisoro, Kabale and Ntungamo.
The scale of the projects reflects NWSC’s broader expansion strategy, which Mugisha said is designed to increase both service coverage and reliability while keeping investment costs under control.
He said the corporation has relied heavily on internally developed engineering designs, digital systems and community mobilisation to reduce the cost of infrastructure development.
NWSC’s expansion plans come as the corporation continues to target increased national water coverage by 2030. Earlier this year, Mugisha said the utility was targeting growth from about one million connections to 1.25 million and an increase in the population served to roughly 26 million, with infrastructure expansion and financing expected to support the programme.
Mugisha said the ultimate objective was not merely to increase the number of connections but to ensure that existing and new customers receive more reliable water services.
The projects, he said, are therefore being prioritized according to the specific constraints affecting individual towns — ranging from inadequate treatment capacity and seasonal water shortages to transmission bottlenecks, poor-quality raw water and rapidly increasing demand. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
