Severe water shortage hits Gulu municipality

Residents of Pece Vanguard in Pece Division line up jerrycans at a water source in Gulu Town on Tuesday. PHOTO BY JULIUS OCUNGI 

Gulu. Gulu municipality residents are facing a severe water shortage following inadequate supply of water by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
The inadequate water supply that has been ongoing for the past two weeks has affected more than 400 households within Pece, Laroo and in some parts of Layibi divisions.

According to Ms Nighty Awor, a resident of Pece Vanguard, who brews Malwa, (a local brew), it has been a struggle to fetch tap water for the past two weeks since the supply is irregular.
She noted that the inadequate water supply has affected her business since she now spends Shs10,000 daily for fetching water from a distant borehole.
“We pay Shs500 for a jerrycan of water at the borehole as opposed to Shs150 for tap water. This is expensive for me,” Ms Awor told Daily Monitor in an interview on Tuesday.
She added that she has not heard any communication from officials of NWSC on what the problem could be.

However, Mr Paul Rackara, the NWSC Gulu branch manager, in an interview with Daily Monitor on Tuesday said the problem is due to a breakdown of the generator used for pumping water and reduced rainfall.
“We are currently receiving inadequate rainfall since it’s a dry season and so the water levels are low. Besides, our generator has a mechanical fault and when there is no electricity, water supply is bound to be affected,” Mr Rackara said.

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