Residents of Arua City are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) due to sewage spillage into River Osu. Over the past two weeks, untreated sewage has been leaking through a manhole chamber into the river, posing a severe health risk to the community.
The most affected areas include Oluodri, Orionzi, and Dadamu cells in Ariwara Ward, Ayivu Division of Arua City. Asiku Benard, the LC 1 secretary for Oluodri Cell, criticized NWSC for failing to conduct timely inspections of the sewage line and for not addressing the issue despite numerous complaints over the past two weeks.
Harriet Candiru, another resident, mentioned that the foul stench from the sewage leakage had polluted the air, discouraging residents from eating.
Swale Kubra, one of the affected residents, expressed concern that the human waste contaminating the river could lead to an outbreak of waterborne diseases, as many households rely on River Osu for their water supply. Ashraf Aluma, the LC 1 chairperson of Oluodri Cell, threatened to mobilize locals if NWSC does not resolve the sewage leakage soon.
Ronald Barte, the head of technical operations at NWSC Arua office, blamed the leakage on stolen manhole chamber covers by individuals involved in the scrap business. He appealed to residents and leaders to be vigilant and protect the installations as NWSC works to fix the leakage.
The Arua City sewer line, which spans over 23 kilometers, connects an estimated 900 houses in the city and surrounding areas. The project, valued at 66 billion Shillings, was undertaken by the Egyptian firm El-Nasr and the local civil works firm Dott Services and was handed over to the government in 2018.
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