CNOOC hands over Buhuka gravity water flow project  to 13000 beneficiaries in Kikuube

Chinese oil company, CNOOC Uganda Limited, has handed over the Buhuka gravity water flow project  to a number of beneficiaries in Kikuube district.

The Buhuka gravity flow scheme is community water and sanitation project implemented by CNOOC Uganda Limited in Buhuka flats aimed at providing safe and clean water to the five villages of over 13,000 residents in Buhuka flats which is the host community for the Kingfisher development area where the oil company operates.

The project was started in February 2022 and the rehabilitation contract was awarded to SAMKA a Ugandan company

The works included the making a detailed design of a new distribution network that incorporates some of the old scheme and this distribution network is made up of 14km of HDPE pipes that supply water to Nsunzu A, Nsunzu B, Kyakapere, Nsonga A, and Nsonga B which are the five villages in the area of operation.

The other part of the design includes a water treatment plant, a power/chemical house and the water treatment system which includes the intake unit, aerator tank, coagulator tank, sedimentation tank, sand filter and the clear water tank that is treated using chlorine to make it safe and then pumped off for distribution to the stand taps constructed in the villages and the community market water supply system.

The water is abstracted from river Masika for which the National Environment Management Authority granted a license for abstraction of 180m 3 an equivalent of 9000 twenty liter jerry cans of water per day for treatment and supply to the community.

For sustainability and ease of making the project fully community run and owned in future, the electronic equipment of the facility are run on renewable energy which is solar that is abundant in the area.

The facility has an array of 38 solar panels.

In his description for the project, Enoth Tukamushaba the project engineer described it as a very big contribution to the community that will improve the livelihoods of the user community.

He  also noted that three locals from Kyakapere, Nsunzu and Nsonga have been trained in operation and maintenance of the facilities.

This, he said  is to ensure that even when the SAMKA engineers handover and leave the project to the community, the community can fully and ably run it.

When talking to local leaders, the LCI chairman of Nsonga A village, Dismus Babihemaiso said the project will greatly help the residents

He said  they will be able to prevent various water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery  that had previously plagued the area .

On the issue of sustainability and being able to run the project as a community, the chairman said they have set up water user committees that will be in charge of monitoring the water distribution system and maintenance of good working condition of the taps in the different villages.

Chen Zhuobiao, the  CNOOC president said the company will always remain a dependable partner in improving the livelihoods of the host communities and this is a continuation of the different projects undertaken.

He urged the community to take good care of the facilities to ensure that the project runs for many years to come.

Chen reaffirmed CNOOC Uganda Limited’s commitment to being a good neighbor and always striving to create Win-Win relationships with the local community.