NWSC signs US $152m water and sanitation project deal

By Our Reporter

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has signed a US $152 million deal with Suez Consulting, a subsidiary of the French Suez group for the implementation of a drinking water, irrigation and sanitation project in southwestern Uganda.

“We were faced with a long-standing challenge regarding water management in the cities mentioned. In collaboration with the Government of Uganda, the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Ministry of Finance and development partners, we obtained funding to implement the project,” Silver Mugisha, NWSC’s Managing Director said.

The funds which will be provided through a loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) which will see the two partners build a water intake on the Kagera River, one of the sources of the Nile, located on the border between Uganda and Tanzania.

The station upon completion will be able to pump 680,000 m3 of water per day. The raw water will follow a 70 km long pipe. Throughout this corridor, water intakes will be made to irrigate plantations in southwestern Uganda.

The station will provide drinking water to people living in small communities along the pipeline. Additionally another drinking water plant will be built in Masaka City while two stations in Masaka and Nabajuzi will undergo rehabilitation.

The project also includes a sanitation component, including the construction of two wastewater treatment plants in Masaka and Mbarara. NWSC and Suez Consulting will start work in August 2020, for a period of 60 months.

According to the public company, the water and sanitation project is expected to provide drinking water, irrigation water and sanitation services to 300,000 people in the city of Isingiro, 350,000 in Mbarara and 350,000 in Masaka. A total of one million people will benefit from this work.