Gulu town has been hit by a water shortage following the breakdown of a generator and a reduction in rain fall, the National Water and Sewage Corporation has said (NWSC).
“We are currently receiving little rainfall since its dry season and the water level and the dam has gone low. Besides our generator has a mechanical fault and when there is no electricity, water supply is bound to be affected,” said Paul Rackara, NWSC Gulu branch manager.
As a result, Rackara said, NWSC has embarked on rationing a total of 5 million liters of water to the residents in the morning and evening when demand is high.
Residents of Gulu town are beginning to feel the pinch as a result of the rationing.
Nighty Awor, a brewer and seller of Malwa, a local drink, said it has been a struggle in the last two weeks for her to get sufficient water for her business.
Awor said she spends Shs 10,000 per day to have water fetched for her business from a bore hole.
“At the borehole, we pay shs 500 for a jerry as opposed to Shs 150 for tap water. This is expensive for me.”
Although the current water shortage is attributed to insufficient rain and a breakdown of the generator, Paul Rackara of the National Water and Sewage Corporation says the demand for water in Gulu has increased
“We are seeing a growth in the population but we are still relying on only one dam were we get water. We have secured US $ 60 million fund to construct another dam and this will help increase our supply to the ever growing population.”
Construction for the new dam begins in 2016, according to the National Water and Sewage Corporation.
