It is said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. This was the case as a team from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) led by SMIP&D, Eng. Denis Taremwa, embarked on the journey of providing a long term solution to Mubende’s water supply challenges.
The exercise started with the Team taking stock of the existing facilities at the Katoma Water Treatment Plant, including the Katoma dam, and the Kachwamango dam. The Team then visited the Katabalanga Water Works, together with all the boreholes that supply it. From the existing facilities at Katoma and Kachwamango, they were able to appreciate the raw water abstraction challenges, aggravated by the drying up of dams during the dry season. Some short-term (immediate interventions) were agreed upon like desilting of the dam, replacement of penstocks, and strainers among others.
The NWSC team also noted that there are hydraulic constraints in the existing Katoma Plant that need addressing. It was also noted that the short term interventions, to avert the looming water crisis like; installation, testing and commissioning of Katabalanga BH VI and VII, were completed and are already yielding positive results. It was also noted that the 6″ parallel pipeline from Kachwamango to Katoma to evacuate an additional 14m³/h into the distribution network, was completed.
Despite these interventions, Mubende remains water stressed, with only 2,200m3 of water being produced per day, against a demand of 3,780m3. As such, the team embarked on the expedition of identifying and assessing new potential raw water sources and Water Treatment Plant sites for incorporating into the Water Supply Improvement Concept currently under preparation.
NWSC remains committed to Water for All.
