Joshua Nahamya,
Kampala.
The Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Eng. Silver Mugisha has warned to deal with water users who are well on of using the water services illegally without meeting any bills.
Eng. Mugisha revealed that the corporation loses about Shs5bn in water theft monthly, warning that the vice is affecting the provision of services to other Ugandans.
He made the revelation on Monday at the NWSC Head Office in Kampala, Nakasero while unveiling a new campaign that will clamp down on water theft. He said that although the Corporation has a team of dedicated staff, there are some bad apples who are conniving with customers to carry out illegal connections costing the Corporation billions in revenue.
“When it comes to water, you can’t avoid losses, but the water losses we have right now are slightly above what it should be according to our plans. We estimate that in Kampala, we lose about Shs2Bn per month and 5B across the country. This is money that we can plough into service extensions and serve more people”. Mugisha said
The Managing Director said that recently, the Corporation sent out its team to conduct house to house service verifications, and the reports from the field reveal that some customers collaborate with NWSC staff to carry out illegal connections both on water pipes and sewerage systems.
Additionally, some customers connive with staff to alter meter readings thus causing financial loss to the Corporation, while in some cases, customers connive with staff to change tariff categories.
Eng. Mugisha added that there is no excuse people can give to steal water, sharing that the cost is affordable and only greed would explain the rampant water theft, especially among the rich people.
He explained that for a 20-liter jerrycan Commercial water consumers are charged Shs100, institutions including schools and hospitals are charged Shs84 and this amount includes service fees and VAT. Additionally, domestic users are charged Shs83, while water users at public standpipes are charged Shs25.
The NWSC MD condemned the vice and continuously warned that he has enough staff to struck all unscrupulous customers who violate legal means of water connections in Uganda.
The Corporation added that it gave its esteemed customers the month of October, as amnesty to rectify their connections while staff who carried out the illegal connections have been urged to return to the field and rectify their mistakes before the law takes its course.
Eng. Mugisha says that after the period has elapsed, staff caught carrying out illegal connections will lose their employment while customers will be prosecuted according to the law.
He however says that NWSC is committed to giving clean water and safe sanitation for all people.
