Residents of Kitgum Municipality have accused the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) of supplying dirty water and failing to provide a reliable service, leaving some households without running water for months despite paying for the service. The complaints were raised during a stakeholders’ meeting involving NWSC officials, district leaders, and development partners at the Kitgum District Council Hall on Friday, where local leaders demanded urgent action to improve water supply.
Sarah Labol, a resident of Lemo West in Pager Division, said irregular water supply has become a major challenge for households. “We are facing a lot of challenges because we don’t have water. Sometimes it takes more than six months before water returns. Even when it comes, it only reaches some households while others receive nothing,” Labol said. She said some residents who manage to receive water only collect a few jerrycans before the supply is interrupted again.
“We are really suffering. Nothing can work without water. We request NWSC to do something better because the water demand is very high,” she added. Richard Canodonga, Kitgum Municipal Council Secretary for Works and Technical Services, said residents have repeatedly complained about dirty water flowing through their taps. He said he had received complaints from residents who presented bottles containing discoloured water collected from their homes, warning that such water could pose health risks.
“In the last two weeks of last month, I received four residents who brought bottles filled with dirty water they had collected from their taps. The water was not only dirty but also contaminated. I still have the four bottles in my office. I don’t think a laboratory test is needed to tell us that such water can harm people,” Canodonga said. He challenged NWSC’s explanation that the discolouration was caused by routine flushing of water lines, saying the problem persisted for several days.
“Flushing cannot take three days. This dirty water flowed continuously for at least three days. Besides that, there is also the issue of irregular supply, where water comes only once or twice a week. We cannot continue holding meetings while residents continue to suffer,” he said. Responding to the concerns, Kitgum NWSC Area Manager Caroline Mercy Abonyo acknowledged receiving complaints about discoloured water and pledged to strengthen monitoring and maintenance of the supply system.
She said NWSC’s mandate is to provide water that meets national quality standards and World Health Organization standards, adding that the corporation conducts daily tests and collects samples from different points in the network. Abonyo attributed cases of discoloured water to pipe damage, vandalism, and disturbances within the distribution network rather than problems at the treatment plant.
“In the event that customers notice coloured water due to pipe cuts or vandalism, they should report it to our offices immediately so that we can respond without delay,” she said. She added that NWSC cleans and disinfects reservoirs every three months and flushes the water network monthly to remove sediments. However, Abonyo said some complaints are not formally reported with enough details to allow investigation.
She said NWSC is working to restore public confidence, adding that improving service delivery will require continued engagement with customers. To improve access, Abonyo said NWSC is nearing completion of a five-kilometre pipeline extension covering areas including Auch, Tangi Agoro, Bardege, Latiti, Michan, Lamit, Lemo, Labourline, Alango, and Oryang Ojuma. She said 4.7 kilometres of the pipeline have already been laid, with the remaining 300 metres expected to be completed soon. According to Abonyo, the extension is expected to improve water supply in areas that have experienced chronic shortages, with some improvements already reported in Alango following completion of the Bardege extension-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
