Water supply and sanitation in Uganda

Water supply and sanitation in Uganda

Data
Water coverage (broad definition)	("at least basic sanitation" / improved sanitation facilities) 92% / 79% (in 2015)[1]
Sanitation coverage (broad definition)	("at least basic sanitation" / improved sanitation) 93% / 19% (in 2015)[2]
Continuity of supply	20–24 hours per day in large towns[3]: page 58
Average urban water use (L/person/day)	44[4]
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3)	0.64[5]
Share of household metering	99% in large towns (2006)[3]: page 23
Annual investment in WSS	US$2.37 per capita[6][7][8]
Share of external financing	Mainly external donors
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalities	Since 1997: To districts, towns and sub-counties[3]: page 8
National water and sanitation company	National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), in large towns
Water and sanitation regulator	None
Responsibility for policy setting	Ministry of Water and Environment
Sector law	None
No. of urban service providers	n/a
No. of rural service providers	n/a

The Ugandan water supply and sanitation sector made substantial progress in urban areas from the mid-1990s until at least 2006, with substantial increases in coverage as well as in operational and commercial performance.^{[9]: pages 3–4} Sector reforms from 1998 to 2003 included the commercialization and modernization of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) operating in cities and larger towns, as well as decentralization and private sector participation in small towns.^{[10]: page 15}

These reforms have attracted significant international attention. Thirty-eight percent of the population, however, still had no access to an improved water source in 2010. Concerning access to improved sanitation, figures vary widely. According to government figures, it was 70 percent in rural areas and 81 percent in urban areas^[11] while according to the United Nations (UN), access was only 34 percent.^[12]

The water and sanitation sector was recognized as a key area under the 2004 Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Uganda's main strategy paper to fight poverty.^[13] A comprehensive expenditure framework was introduced to coordinate financial support by external donors, the national government, and non-governmental organizations.^{[3]: page 5} The PEAP estimated that from 2001 to 2015, about US$1.4 billion in total (US$92 million per year) was needed to increase water supply coverage up to 95 percent.^[14]