A severe water shortage has hit Moroto municipality following the breakdown of the water pump system managed by National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
Joseph Nyimalema, the NWSC Moroto area Manager, says their pumps broke down four days ago. He, however, notes that the prolonged dry spell has affected the water levels and in turn affected the volume of water supply to their clients.
The crisis has affected most of the parts of the municipality that rely on NWSC for their water needs.
Judith Nakong, who operates a restaurant in Campswahili ward in South Division, says that the water crisis has forced prices of water to increase from Shillings 100 to Shillings 500 for a 20-litre jerrican of water from the borehole. And residents walk 10 kilometers to access clean water from boreholes.
Nakong is worried that the price is likely to double should the current situation persist without any intervention.
Sylvia Apuun, a resident of Kakoliye cell, says that the water stress is exposing them to danger since they move out at night to look for water.
‘’With this current insecurity, sometimes we are forced to wake up our husbands as early as 2:00 am to escort us to the only functional borehole, which is about 5 kilometers away,’’ Apuun said.
Ismail Mohammed, the Mayor of Moroto municipality faulted NWSC for failing to maintain their water supply system, which has caused the crisis in town. He is sceptical whether NWSC will manage to supply water to the entire Moroto once it’s elevated to city status.
Moroto has 401 domestic water points which serve 96,476 people. 74 water points have been non-functional for over 5 years.
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