By Mark Kimbugwe
It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of access to clean water. Water is indeed life. Water ensures sanitation, hygiene and life itself. 75% of a human brain is composed of water. Without water, human life as we know it would cease to exist.
Access to water is therefore critical to ensure good livelihoods. If you are building a new home or commercial property, you will need to get connected to piped water. How do you get connected to NWSC?
Your first call, will be to visit the nearest water office in your locality. At the office you will be enlightened on the requirements you need to get a new water connection.
The requirements are; a sketch map to your property, photocopies of your land title, national ID, letter of introduction of your area local council chairman and your passport photo.
Armed with the above documents, you will be assisted by the team to fill out the new connection application form to which the above documents are attached and a new connection declaration undertaken:
“I/We hereby give notice to NWSC that I/We wish to have and agree that water supply and/or sewer service be connected to the above premises and further agree to be bound by NWSC general conditions attached and to pay for all water and sewerage services in accordance with the tariff in force from time to time.”
Thereafter, you are scheduled for a property visit with a branch surveyor/engineer in about a week from when you checked in with the branch.
The surveyor’s visit at your property is to help establish the technical/mechanical requirements of the intended new connection. The surveyor will look into the NWSC network mains in your locality and form a probable tapping point to your household, and discuss your preferred location of the meter at the property taking into account the distance from the main.
NWSC has abolished the new connection fees. New customers only pay for the materials needed to have them connected.
After the surveyor has successfully gauged your property all that is left is to generate payment advice slips for your connection and effect the connection, which are often ready within 48hours.
Once the payment advice slips have been generated, a Customer Relations Officer will notify you to personally pick them from the designated branch office. You will make payment at any bank of your choice.
Please take note of your new connection (NC) and Deposit slip (DP) serial numbers. These are important for tracking the new connection process.
After all payments are done, return the proof of payment to the branch office. Your new connection will be effected within 4 weeks from date of payment.
The new connection process is never tedious with NWSC as the corporation strives to serve the country using more innovative ways from time to time.
To the customers in the Kampala service area, this process has been made smarter with an online application (www.nwsc.co.ug/new-connection/) (to be continued)
