By Chris Mugasha
BUSHENYI: Residents of six villages in Nyakabirizi Division Bushenyi/Ishaka Municipality have got a tide of relief after the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) bailing them out of water crisis.
The villages which include Irembezi, Matyazo and Nyakahita A, Nyakahita B, Muhire, and Rwemishwa had remained un-served due to their hard-to-reach status.
“This is a major step towards improved access to safe and clean water for residents in the hilly areas of Nyakabirizi Division,” said the Bushenyi district woman MP Annet Katusiime Mugisha while presiding over the commissioning ceremony in Matyazo village on Thursday.
The newly commissioned extension draws water from the Warugo Water Project in Kakanju Sub County.
According to Sam Kigundu, the NWSC Area Manager for Bushenyi, for years, these communities have struggled with water scarcity due the difficult terrain which made it hard to implement previous water infrastructure projects.
Kigundu explained that the extension includes the installation of more than ten public water taps across the beneficiary villages.
“This intervention is part of our continued efforts to ensure that no Munya-Bushenyi, no Ugandan is left behind when it comes to access to clean and safe water,” Kigundu said.
The project is part of a broader national initiative aimed at achieving universal access to piped water in all Ugandan villages, in line with Vision 2040 and national development goals.
Kigundu said that with the extension of piped water from Warugo to the above villages, they can confidently say that the long-standing problem of water scarcity will be be history.
It was indeed a day filled with as local leaders and residents gathered to witness the historical moment of seeing water flowing from a tap to a jerrycan. “History has been made,” remarked Salongo Muramagi a resident.
Katusiime congratulated the people in the above villages upon the progress in accessing social and economic services. “We have just started,” she said as she assured her commitment to ensuring that every community has access to safe water.
The MP appreciated President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for enabling government agencies like NWSC to extend services to the rural population.
Katusiime however cautioned people stressing that, “NWSC pumps water from the wetlands and other water sources which some of you people are seriously encroaching on/degrading. It’s high time you vacate the wetlands if you want a sustainable water supply.”
Elineo Nuwagaba, the Customer Relations Officer for NWSC Bushenyi said NWSC will continue to engage communities to ensure smooth access and proper maintenance of the new water services. End.
