Water ministry commissions sh24b water project in Kyenjojo

The water ministry has commissioned a sh24b piped water supply and sanitation system that will provide safe clean water and sanitation services in Kyenjojo district.

A total of 70 villages will be served with clean and safe water under the Kyejonjo-Katooke project.

It is part of the Government's strategic towns water supply and sanitation project, being implemented with funding from the African Development Bank.

In Kyenjojo, the villages to be served are in Katooke sub-county, Katooke town council and Kyenjojo town council.

For the Government, the end goal is to achieve the sustainable provision of safe water and hygienic sanitation for the urban population by 2030.

Additional extensions will be made in Nyabirongo sub-county, Mabira town council, Ikoba town council, Nyankwanzi Health Centre 3 and Myeri Health Centre 3.

Eng. Felix Twinomucunguzi is the assistant commissioner of the Sewerage Services Division at the water ministry.

Engineer Felix Twinomucunguzi, Assistant Commissioner of Sewerage Services Division in the water ministry addressing beneficiaries during the technical commissioning in Kyenjojo district. (Courtesy photo)

He said the Kyejonjo-Katooke project cost sh24.4b.

“Prior, we were having water challenges, particularly, here, in Katooke," he said during the technical commissioning of the project on Thursday

"We were running a gravity flow scheme which was serving only a few households and there wasn’t enough water supply in the towns.

"Similarly, in Kyenjojo, it has been running on two boreholes and providing a rather insufficient water supply almost two to three hours per day before this intervention.”

The new project has seen the construction of a new intense structure on River Aswa, a treatment plant, and enough reservoirs with the capacity to provide 2.3 million litres per day.

The project was commissioned at the Kagorra water treatment plant in Kyenjojo.

“We designed this project to serve a population capacity of over 20 years," said Twinomucunguzi.

"We estimate that in 20 years, we will have about 70,000 people living in these two town councils and these interventions have been planned along that line."

Mary Kangume, a mother of four children, thanked the Government for extending clean and safe water to their communities.

“My children and I have been trekking many kilometres in search of clean water for domestic use. Since most residents in Katooke are low-income earners, I request the ministry to extend the water near our residences for free," she said.

The project was handed over to National Water and Sewerage Corporation for management.