Power Outage Disrupts Water Supply in Kamwenge as NWSC Pushes Paidha Upgrade

By Mulengera Reporters

Thousands of residents in Kamwenge District are grappling with water supply disruptions following an unexpected power outage that halted operations at the Mpanga Water Treatment Plant, even as the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) reports progress on a major water improvement project in northern Uganda.

In a public notice issued over the weekend on Social Media, NWSC announced that water production at the Mpanga Water Treatment Plant, which serves the Kamwenge area, had been interrupted after a phase failure triggered a power outage at the Stabex Kamwenge T-off.

The disruption has affected water supply across several areas, including Kamwenge Town Council, Kitonzi, Kiburara, Kanara Road, Nyabitushi, Bukonderwa and Kyabandara. Parts of Kabuga Road stretching to Katibani and Kabambiro, as well as Rwenjaza, Ishongororo and surrounding communities, have also experienced interruptions.

NWSC said it had urgently engaged the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to expedite restoration of power and normalize water production at the treatment facility.

Although no timeline was immediately provided for the restoration of services, the corporation apologized for the inconvenience caused and appealed for patience from consumers as engineers work to resolve the technical challenge.

The interruption highlights the vulnerability of water systems to power instability, particularly in growing urban and semi-urban centres where treatment plants depend heavily on uninterrupted electricity to maintain water production and distribution.

For many households and businesses in Kamwenge, prolonged disruptions could force residents to seek alternative water sources, raising concerns over sanitation and access to safe water, especially in densely populated trading centres.

The development comes at a time when NWSC is aggressively investing in water infrastructure improvements across the country to stabilize supply and expand access to clean water.

In northern Uganda, the corporation has reported significant progress on the Jupomwocho Water Stabilization Project in Paidha Town, an intervention expected to improve reliability of water supply in the area.

According to NWSC, works are advancing on the Mawa Hill 150 cubic metre twin reservoir, one of the major components of the stabilization project aimed at boosting storage capacity and strengthening water distribution.

As of May 23, 2026, construction progress stood at an advanced stage, with the transmission line reported to be 98 percent complete. Only pressure testing and installation of fixtures remain before the system becomes operational.

The brick wall construction for both reservoir tanks has been completed, with engineers confirming that the structures have reached full design height and passed alignment and structural checks.

Internal works are also progressing steadily, while curing — a critical process in strengthening concrete infrastructure — is ongoing without reported defects.

Once commissioned, the project is expected to significantly improve water reliability in Paidha Town and surrounding communities by increasing storage capacity and stabilizing supply, particularly during peak demand periods.

The contrasting developments in Kamwenge and Paidha underscore both the challenges and opportunities facing Uganda’s water sector. While infrastructure expansion continues to improve access in many parts of the country, operational disruptions linked to power instability remain a persistent obstacle to reliable service delivery.

For affected residents in Kamwenge, attention is now focused on how quickly electricity can be restored and water production resumed. Meanwhile, in Paidha, expectations are growing that the nearly completed project could soon deliver more dependable access to clean water.

As demand for water services rises across Uganda, balancing infrastructure growth with operational resilience is likely to remain central to NWSC’s mission of ensuring safe and reliable water for all.