It does not matter whether you are celebrating your first or your tenth, every anniversary is a chance to look back and do some self-assessment and this is exactly what Bunyagabu Area did as it hosted the National Water and Sewerage Corporation Board that was in the area to review its performance since inception.
The Area Manager, Ms. Irene Kembabazi was more than delighted to have the board in her area as she boasted of the remarkable performance exhibited by the area over the past one year while making a presentation of the area’s performance to those present.
Note that Bunyangabu Area was handed over to National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in October 2015 after the gazette from the Ministry of water and Environment which was managing it with the help of a Private Operator (Maizi Marungi), and started its operations on 1st December 2021 after previously being managed in two Branches of HIMA/RWIMI under Kasese Area and KIBITO/RUBONA under Fort portal area.
The current operations and service coverage of the area stand at; operation is dependent on one plant thus Katebwa treatment plant in Katebwa sub County which abstracts water from River Yerya, the treatment plant is located approximately 1.7km away from the abstraction point, and the Area operates 10 reservoirs/break pressure tanks which are scattered across the 3 branches and the biggest one is 200m3.
In terms of coverage, Bunyangabu Area has now spread its network to 215 villages out of 355 villages, which accounts for 60% of the entire Area.
To date, the water mains Network length is 255km which covers the town councils of Rubona, Kyamukube, Nyakigumba, Kibito, Rwimi, Kakinga, Rugendabara, Hima and extending to sub counties of Rwimi, Kibito, Katebwa, Kisomoro, Kitswamba and Kabonero.
On measurable parameter performance, the Area boasts of being among the areas that breaks even with a work Ration of 52%. Note that the Area’s Total Billing (VAT inclusive) has grown to 155Millions Vs 91Millions at the time of takeover, the Net Government Collections now Stands at 141millions from 82millions as per December 2021, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) now stands at 19% from 26% and the area has come up with several initiatives to reduce it to 18%. Like data clean up, illegal water use fights led by Area Engineer and continuous phasing off of old meters from the field which could be under registration. The Debt age =(Net govt) stands at Average of 2.7 Months, Cash Operating Margin stands at 51millions, Staff productivity at the Area stands at 5 per 1,000 connections, customer Base/Connectivity is now 4,965 from 4,555 in 2021, and Connected 410 new customers onto the NWSC Grid.
SCAP 100 achievements registered since 2021 include; the expansion of water coverage by 4.2km since 2021.
Always innovating and coming up with ways to better service delivery and business growth, Bunyangabu Area has a number of Area Growth Strategies which include but are not limited to; Increased customer outreach and engagements, Intensification of illegal water use fight headed by the Area Engineer, Territorial management concept, Regular Monitoring of network and Big Consumers, Embrace Customer Reconnect Campaign to woe suppressed Accounts, Further Cost optimization, Stakeholder management and partnerships, and Swift response to bursts and leakages.
Despite the impressive achievements registered by the Area, challenges prevail. Some of these include; the area suffers too much production down time during rainy seasons due to silt because production is always halted to allow water to clear up naturally before resumption due to ineffective filtration process and this compels us to bypass filters in order to get enough water for supply to the users.
There is the issue of the fact that Katebwa Treatment plant was designed to treat 70m3 per day but currently the area has a maximum water demand of 2000m3. This makes the current treatment plant incapable of meeting the current demand.
The area has no intention of going down and has therefore come up with a number of solutions or rather interventions to some of the challenges such as; Upgrade the treatment plant which will allow use of filters since in the current set up, the area is not using filters because they clog so fast due to the fact that water comes with silt, Acquisition of land for construction of sedimentation basins so that sediments settle down before water is sent to the filters, and the Construction and equipping of a Laboratory at the plant since the current small laboratory at the plant is housed in the office shelter that is supposed to be used by the shift team.
Ms. Kembabazi pledging maximum commitment, dedication, and unmatched energies towards service delivery to the local communities and to the entire country at large with no exceptions.
The Mayor Rtd. Ltn Abel Ngomayondi thanked NWSC for extending its services to the people of Bunyangabu despite the challenges it has faced in doing so. He went on to appreciate the Area Manager and her team for always responding very quickly to issues concerning the provision of the service in the area.
The Director Regional Operations, Eng. Edmond Okaronon welcomed the board and thanked the Area manager and her team for the able leadership that they displayed in running the affairs of the area.
“This area has grown very fast and the manager is always on our necks demanding for how to improve performance and it doesn’t surprise us that the area is breaking even”, stated Eng. Okaronon.
He also thanked the staff for the teamwork and unity and respect for one another hence improving on the performance of the area.
In her remarks, the DMD Board Affairs and Management Services Ms. Edith Kateete expressed her excitement for being in Bunyangabu Area which also happens to be her home area. She went on to appreciate the local leadership for working closely with the area in a bid to serve the people of Bunyangabu.
Ms. Kateete also shed some light on the issue of staff performance appraisals and stressed that the appraisals are there to improve on the performance of the team that will in-turn improve the corporation’s performance.
The board members were utterly impressed by Bunyangabu Area’s break-even status, let alone the resilience exhibited in the performance presented. The NWSC BOD pledged support to the area and re echoed their commitment to staff welfare in every aspect.
Bunyangabu Area has demonstrated NWSC’s commitment to excellent service delivery.
