Wau urban water officials learn from Uganda counterparts

By Richard Ruati

September 22, 2010 (KAMPALA) – Three senior officials from the Wau Urban Water Corporation, located in Western Bahr el Ghazal, southern Suan, participated in a study tour held in Uganda in August.

Organized with the support of USAID-funded Sudan Infrastructure Services Project in cooperation with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) of Uganda and the Wau Urban Water Corporation (WUWC), the tour provided instruction and shared best practices and lessons learned about water revitalization management systems in Uganda. The goal was to identify effective approaches and successful strategies that can be replicated in Wau.

The USAID Sudan Infrastructure Services Project is currently involved in several infrastructure development activities in Wau. A key component of the work is to build the capacity of WUWC management by improving its awareness of performance improvement approaches. The overall objective is to enhance the skills of both management and staff by equipping them with the basic tools that will enable them to manage water treatment plant installations.

The study tour in Uganda was headed by Joseph Akol, Area Manager of the WUWC. On the first day of the study tour, the group was introduced to the NWSC’s overall mission and organization, and visited Kampala waterworks and networks.

The following days of the study tour were held in Entebbe where the participants were able to observe the Entebbe area operations and visit the Entebbe waterworks and reservoirs. The group also participated in sessions and site visits regarding the NWSC’s customer care unit, mapping and GIS unit, finance and customer care operations, operations and maintenance, and water quality monitoring.

The participants and representatives of government departments at NWSC had a very positive discussion where they shared best management practices and approaches in water management. They received technical training on water treatment and distribution technologies as well as visiting water treatment plants and distribution networks. The participants said they felt empowered by their interaction with NWSC and expressed their enthusiasm to bring these lessons back to Southern Sudan.

Participant assessments at the end of the study tour rated the program as useful and having met the overall training objective of enhancing participants’ awareness of successful practices by the NWSC. While its water service conditions are significantly different from those of Southern Sudan, NWSC’s experience in technical operations, skills development, cost control and quality assurances offered useful insights to WUWC, helping them to address the challenges they face in setting up a strategic direction for their own utility management.

At the end of the visit, Joseph Akol said that, “we have learned a lot from [our] brothers in neighboring Uganda, by any standard, there is no comparison to what is back in Wau; there is a very big difference.”

He added, “One thing which has thrilled me is how the National Water and Sewerage Corporation of Uganda motivates their employees and we hope to catch up eventually, to adapt the Ugandan management system. We have taken into account knowledge, to incorporate into our planning, as we want our corporation to deliver on a sound path.”

(ST)