For nearly a week, residents of Soroti city have been worried about unusual brown and green colors appearing in their tap water. This water, supplied by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), is usually clear and colorless. The sudden change has caused many people to question the safety of their water and look for other options.
Many residents have started using borehole water instead of tap water. Others have been boiling their tap water before using it. The strange colors in the water have understandably alarmed consumers, leading to a quick response from NWSC.
Emmanuel Esele, a local journalist in Teso, shared his concerns. “On the first day, I declined to use it for bathing because I suspected that the water could have been contaminated with a deadly chemical. But when it persisted, I had to resort to borehole water,” he said.
The issue has sparked intense debate on social media forums in Teso. Many residents expressed their frustration, noting that the quality of water services had declined recently. “Your services in the city have deteriorated in the recent past; taps are always dry, very low pressure, and when the water is available, it has very funny colors, sometimes green or brown. Unfortunately, there is no communication to the users,” an angry user posted on the Teso Development Forum (TDF), where Peter Ebwaat, the area manager for NWSC, was added to the discussion.
On Monday, May 27, 2024, Ebwaat addressed the concerns of water users. He acknowledged their worries but reassured them that the water is safe for human health. “Our dear customers, we wholeheartedly regret the current supply state of our water. This is due to environmental factors that have changed the raw water quality since Friday night, specifically at our Awoja river,” Ebwaat explained on the TDF forum.
Ebwaat assured residents that efforts are underway to improve the water quality. “However, efforts to completely improve the quality have been undertaken, and we expect changes as soon as the system clears out,” he added.
He emphasized that the water is safe to use despite its color. “We want to assure everyone that the rest of the treatment parameters, like pH, alkalinity, residual chlorine, hardness, and microbiological factors, are fully being achieved to all acceptable standards except color, which now is clearing in our systems,” he said. “This assurance is to affirm to us all that there is no harm as feared that will be caused,” Ebwaat concluded.
