The newly constructed water reservoir/treatment facility at Gulu-Gulu near Customs Corner, Gulu City. The reservoir for the Nile water tapped from Karuma, 72 kilometres away, was constructed by Denys NV and Sogea Satom is a conduit for up to 10 million litres of water consumed per day in the city (Photo by Simon Wokorach).
Initially Gulu City dwellers were getting 11,000 liters of water per day from Oyitino Dam, but with completion of Karuma pipeline of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), which covered 72 kilometers from the River Nile to Gulu City, water crisis is history in the city. The city is getting an additional 10 million litres of water per day, courtesy of the project.
However, NWSC decries illegal water connections, and unpaid bills, including from government institutions.
NWSC also points out that the many boreholes in the city interfere with their business.
GULU CITY – MONDAY JANUARY 19, 2025
By Livingstone Okumu Langol
January 19, 2025 at 10:33 a.m., a burly Gulu City Mayor, Alfred Okwonga stormed into the offices of Northern Uganda Media Center alongside three others. Visibly excited, his subject was about clean, safe water supply for Gulu City. Many stakeholders were present.
Mayor Alfred Okwonga introduced himself, “I am the mayor of Gulu City. “In January this year, 2025 water from Karuma, River Nile reached Gulu City. “I would like to thank Denys NV and Sogea Satom, a French construction company that laid a pipeline from Karuma, 72 kilometers away from Gulu City. Sogea and Denys NV worked tirelessly to ensure water reached Gulu City in record time,” Okwonga reported.
“I would also like to thank the villagers who allowed the pipeline to pass through their land. “Our request to pay you back is at least 100 water stand pipes in your areas. The project has boosted the water supply from Oyitino Dam that we continue getting,” Okwonga said.
The Gulu City Mayor stressed the need to plant trees in upstream Oyitino supply course that has since been degraded and urged the community to protect the trees.
“Additionally, we are going to support the community who live upstream, we are going to support them with piggery and poultry projects in collaboration with the parish development management.
Many Gulu City residents were not aware that the Sogea-NWSC water had reached Gulu City.
Okwera Dussman, a software engineer quipped, “do you mean that we are now drinking the Sogea project water? “Since water is life, it is a blessing although the tariff is high,” Okwera said.
Okwera suggested that since some government institutions seem to get challenges paying for water, it should be supplied to them free of charge. Okwera also noted that when clients apply for water meters, it takes abnormally long to supply them. “Let NWSC ease the process of getting water meters,” Okwera pleaded.
Okwera also expressed concern that the meter readers are not ethical, they do not know how to interact with clients, they appear to inflate the water bills. In some instances, they disconnect water that has been paid for. He said there are even cases where they disconnect water and continue to read fictitious water consumption to the disappointment of customers. Okwera noted that those who manage stand pipes also appear to hike the rates of water bought per jerrycan. “That is daytime robbery,” Okwera complained..
James Torach, a commercial businessman in Gulu City Ring Road who runs bricks laying project also decries the high tariff of NWSC. “When you use National Water for only UGX 200,000 per month, you will receive the bill of UGX 470,000,” he complained. The Black Star News, could not verify these claims but similar outcries have been echoed all through the city.
“National Water and Sewerage Corporation has been cheating us through their meter readers, unless they do internal auditing, even after receiving this additional 10 million water from Karuma, we shall not gain much,” Torach said..
Okwera Jakeyo, a commercial residential building estate who lives in Pece Tegwana, says his problem stems from his tenants who refuse to pay for water supplied by NWSC. “I disconnected piped water from my house and now I am buying water from the public standpoint,” Okwera reveled.
Patrick Ogwang, 55-year-old, one of the public-standpoint NWSC vendor was excited when The Black Star News correspondent broke the news to him about the water boost. He said he expects to get more than the UGX 200,000 per month that he pockets as commission from water vending.
“With pre-payment card, we will reap more, “I welcome pre-payment billing, look here, I am supplying this whole big area.” Ogwang boasted.
Ivan Tekwo, the NWSC Spokesperson said Karuma water supply project started way back in 2022. He revealed that the project was funded by the World Bank, at Euro 29 million which also constructed a water treatment centre in Kamdini along the Gulu City- Kampala highway.
Ivan Tekwo, revealed that up to 20 million liters of water per day will be supplied to Gulu City by the year 2040. He revealed that pre-paid card will be introduced for paying for the water.
Tekwo revealed further that Oyitino Dam will not be abandoned but upgraded for better water supply to support the Karuma water. He says in reality Gulu City has the capacity to consume up to 20,000 litres per day from NWSC alone. He said the population of Gulu City per night is about 500,000 who need to use water. He said up to 89 stand pipes had been abandoned but now need to be restored.
“During the dry season, we have realized that there are so many illegal water connections, mainly from the youths and brick makers who usually cut our pipes and the divert the water for illegal use. “Whoever we get, we are going to deal with them heavily,” Tekwo said.
“NWSC has even written off up to UGX 6 billion in debt,” he revealed.
“The debt we have written off usually comes from the community who fail to clear off their bills,” Ivan Tekwo observed.
“The warning we are passing to NWSC water users is, when we find you misusing our meters, we cut your water, and you meet the losses,” Tekwo cautioned.
