By KT Reporter
The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has halted the production of water from Oyitino Dam, one of Gulu City’s primary water sources due to a significant decline in the water levels.
Water levels at the dam where NWSC produces some 9 million litres of water daily to supply city residents had by the beginning of this week reduced to barely a meter down from seven meters when at full capacity.
The reduction in water levels fueled by the extreme heat being experienced in the sub-region saw an irregular supply of water to clients within Gulu city in past weeks with NWSC at some moments forced to ration.
Ivan Tekakwo, the Northern Regional NWSC Spokesperson said on Thursday that they decided to halt the production of water at the dam to prevent further damage to the corporation’s pumps.
Tekakwo told Uganda Radio Network during a visit to the dam that water production at Oyitino dam will only resume when the dam is filled up with rainwater.
Tekakwo explained that NWSC has since temporarily switched to the multi-billion Karuma water project to supply water to Gulu city residents.
He noted that water from Karuma is meant to back up Oyitino Dam which has been experiencing water level reduction since 2016 due to climate change effects.
An additional 10 million litres of water is already being pumped to Gulu city residents in the absence of Oyitino dam operations according to Tekakwo.
The multi-billion Karuma water project was initiated in 2022 and is jointly funded by the Ugandan government, KfW, and a loan from the World Bank. Through the project, a water treatment plant has been established in Nora village in Oyam district while water reservoirs have been constructed in the peri-urban centres of Kamdini, Minakulu, Koro Abili, Bobi and Palenga. Water from Karuma is being evacuated through a 69.5-kilometre water pipeline to Gulu city.
According to Tekakwo, the project which is in three phases is expected to boost the daily supply of water up to 30 million liters by 2040.
He however noted that while they have temporarily switched to water from Karuma, not all parts of the city are yet receiving water adding that technicians were already in the process of ensuring every client is connected to the reservoir.
“Though some places will be facing intermittent supply due to the current situation, we will ensure that everyone gets some water as we wait for the rains to come back and the situation normalizes,” he said.
Over 13,000 residents within Gulu city are currently connected to the NWSC tap water, with the production of water still staggering between 9 million to 10 million litres of water per day despite growing demand.
Gulu city and neighbouring Gulu district this year experienced the most extreme heat, with temperature rising to 37 degrees Celsius on March 6, one of the highest recorded in recent years.
Environmental experts and local leaders attribute the ever-growing destruction of natural forests and wetland encroachment to the persistent reduction of water levels at Oyitino Dam.
In March 2016, Gulu city residents experienced severe water shortage after Oyitino dam waters dried completely due to harsh weather conditions at the time-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
