Okidi Patrick, Dokolo – Mr. Gerazio Tukahirwa, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation’s area manager for the Lira cluster, has stated that a 1.7 km stretch to reach the intake point on Lake Kwania has been cut off by rising water levels, partly disrupting their usual smooth operations, including staff movement. According to the area manager of the Lira cluster, the rising water level of the Kachung Water Treatment Plant, which is powered by electricity, has led to increasing floods due to the drastic increase in water level. The cluster includes three branches of Lira City, Amach, and Dokolo.
At present, the road is cut off from the intake point on Lake Kwania, where the raw water is pumped to the treatment branch. The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) intake plant located at Kachung in Dokolo District has been submerged following the rise in water levels in Lake Kwania, according to the area manager of the cluster. The plant, which serves the Lira catchment area, Dokolo, and Amach, is now submerged by the floods, forcing the authorities of the National Water and Sewage Corporation Lira cluster to travel using canoes. The floods have also covered the 1.7 kilometers of the road leading to the plant, and currently, any access to the plant is a bit challenging.
The challenge has increased the operation cost of NWSC, now close to two months since the rising of the water level on the lake was noted from the onset. In 2020, when the water level came down, it was not as bad as this. They also have in place a standby generator at Lake Kwania, and the good part of it is that the island where most of their pumping equipment is found is not yet totally cut off or submerged, including the electricity power line providing power connection from the treatment in the lake to the areas that have not been fully affected.
The manager has advised people not to worry but to pray for NWSC Lira cluster. Currently, they are producing 10 million liters, and even it is still increasing. They have been experiencing a number of loopholes as well as challenges on Kachung intake, increasing their operation cost, according to the manager. He urged everyone not to worry because in case of anything, they shall communicate on various media platforms like TV, radio, and online newspapers, among others.
