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NWSC’s Mbale Water Project Reaches 97% Completion
The Mbale Water Supply and Sanitation Project reaches 97% physical completion, with testing, commissioning and preparations for handover now underway.
Key takeaways
The project is being implemented by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
A two-day monitoring mission and monthly progress review assessed the project's readiness for testing and commissioning.
The IUIU sewerage network, sewer rehabilitation, Busoba Reservoir, public sanitation facilities and distribution lines are reported at 100% completion.
The Namatala Water Treatment Plant is at 98%, while the Manafwa Water Treatment Plant stands at 93.3%.
Remaining works are largely finishing, testing and snag closure.
The latest review covered major components including the Namatala–Bungokho transmission pipeline, Musola Reservoir, Bungokho Water Treatment Plant and Manafwa Water Treatment Plant. At Manafwa, outstanding activities include pipe and pump testing, water-tightness tests and minor finishing works.
The project forms part of Uganda's investment in water and sanitation infrastructure in Mbale and surrounding urban areas. Its wider scope includes expanding production capacity at the Bungokho and Manafwa treatment plants, laying 85 km of pipe network, constructing a 2,000 m³ reservoir, and rehabilitating and expanding the sewerage system.
Stakeholders have agreed to conduct a joint inspection before final handover.
Why it matters: At 97% completion, the project has moved from major construction into the testing, commissioning and handover phase. The final stretch will therefore be less about headline construction progress and more about whether the completed systems perform as designed and can be successfully commissioned.
