Kampala sewage problem far from over

By JOSHUA MASINDE
Published September 13, 2009

A boy jumping over sewage flowing through Katanga slum in Kampala. Photo by Joshua Masinde

The stench from leaking sewage pipes wafts in the Kampala air as though it is a natural feature in the city. Along many city roads, lines of dark foul-smelling liquid, snake their way from burst pipes or overflowing manholes up to puddles where they recoil into fetid pools.

A phenomenal pool of putrid sewage and foul water is as common as human traffic and vehicles as one comes upon William Street or Wilson Road. Many such pools are a common sight in busy city centre areas such as Jinja Road near Spear Motors in Wandegeya suburb; adjacent to St. Peters’ Church of Uganda; Katwe slum; Katanga slum; Kisenyi Zone B in Kamwokya; Mukwenda Zone in Kawempe Division; Gadaffi Road; Nakivubo Road; and Bombo Road.

Charles Ochara, who has worked as a security guard on William Street for close to three years is among many people on the streets, who have buried their heads in the sand, as the suffocating sewage lies almost permanently on the street.

“The smell is too bad,” he said, pointing his finger towards a manhole, where much of the sewage emanates from, close to a verandah in the front of a busy commercial building.

Most vehicles are parked in the sewage lining, the owners and the traders are oblivious of the dangerous snake of dark, rotting and foul smelling sewage before them.

Yet, nobody seems to care about the discomfort, and business goes on as usual.

The flow of sewage is common in many parts of Kampala. Photo by Joshua Masinde

Ochara says the problem has persisted for more than three months now. He adds that when it rains, the condition aggravates as wastes from various sewers and other putrid parts of the city, flow freely especially through the nearby manhole.

Jennifer Nafula, a florist in Mukwenda Zone, laments at the losses she incurs when the sewage from nearby Makerere University flow into her flower gardens. The situation is so usual that there’s nothing she can do.

“This has caused me untold shame and cost me customers and money. I hope the university will quickly do something about this problem,” lamented Ms Nafula.

The situation is not different at the university, where sewage leakages are a common sight, especially on the road a long the Botanical Gardens. Sewage leakage is almost a daily routine, inconveniencing even drivers whose vehicles have to wade through the pools.

Kampala’s innumerable open manholes, which expose sewage pipes to all sorts of dirt, have aggravated the appalling sewage system in the city.

The Kampala Sewage Service Manager Mr. James Maiteki, claimed the sewage pipes in the city are renovated on a daily basis, despite the frequent leakages. He attributed the frequent breakages to poor usage.

“The problem of sewage in our city is not about the company. It is the people who use them in a wrong way,” Mr Maiteki said. “Instead of toilet paper, some people use leaves, stones and maize cobs which block the flow of sewage.”

Mr Maiteki added that some customers dispose off their rubbish in the sewage system, which adversely affects the general flow of human waste. “People have taken the sewage system as a disposal ground for sanitary pads, condoms, spoons, glasses and broken cups, hence blocking it,” he said.

In addition, some people have set up buildings on sewage lines, which lead to blockage. Areas such as Katanga slum and Katwe are among those with many sewerage pipes lying under concrete buildings.

“There is nothing we can do. These houses are owned by rich people and politicians, whose eviction is difficult,” he lamented.

A scene of leaking sewage in Wandegeya, a Kampala suburb. Photo by Joshua Masinde

The sewage pipes in Kampala were laid in 1940, followed by continuous extensions, and refurbishments in 1956, 1958, 1968 and in 1978. Since then, no major maintenance and expansion process has been undertaken in the city.

With the population in Kampala skyrocketing, and many buildings being set up at lightning speed, the sewage problem continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This, according to a health officer at Makerere University Hospital, poses serious health hazards such as cholera, dysentery, infectious hepatitis B, and elephantiasis.

While everybody affected wants to see something done, nobody seems to act. This is more so because Peter Gawaya, an engineer at the Estates Department , charged with maintaining the sewerage system at the university, attributed the problem to lack of funds to overhaul the entire sewage system, which was built about five decades ago. Pressure on the sewage lines is too immense, making the pipes break at will. He added that it is almost impossible to overhaul the existing sewage system at the age old university. The most viable solution, he said, is to lay new lines.

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