Kampala — Uganda national water and sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has hinted that countering illegal water connections require a comprehensive approach to curb it.
NWSC Business Relations Development Manager, Joseph Ndegeya said this Monday in Kampala during Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) Benchmarking visit to Uganda.
He said stakeholders and customer involvement is key to reducing cases of illegal connections within their areas.
"Customers need to be sensitized on the benefit of having access on water and implications associated with illegal water connections. We need to spelt out the dangers to them and outline the dangers of involving themselves in the malpractices," Ndegeya observed.
The Manager noted that Water Institutions need to flex their set standards in providing water supply to customers to minimize the issue of illegal connections.
"Sometimes illegal connections are being propelled as a result on water supplying institutions should respond to the demands of water connections timely to avoid customers resorting to easy ways of getting connected," he explained.
Ndegeya said NWSC established Water Loss Prevention Unit (WALOPU) as a tool to address some challenges that were being experienced as a result of illegal connections in the country.
He explained that since the establishment of WALOPU, NWSC has registered reduced cases of illegal connections country wide and it has worked perfectly to the revenue collections for the organisation.
Non-Revenue Water Manager for LWB, Steve Kazembe said his organisation need to review its legal framework in order to be in conformity in implementing the Uganda model of detecting illegal connections.
He admitted that illegal water connections have contributed to high value of non-revenue for the board.
"We have seen how Uganda has implemented their four year programme and there are working in close partnership with the Police and Judiciary in enforcing their water and sanitation acts and laws," Kazembe pointed out.
He said the benchmarking has provided the stepping stone on how LWB could develop best practices to curb illegal connections with its jurisdiction.
NWSC and LWB have been in a working partnership for the past 12 years.
LWB dilatation to Kampala arrived Sunday for a four day working tour of some establishments with NWSC.
