Operation and maintenance challenges in ensuring safe drinking water in Uganda

Abstract

Ensuring safe drinking is a goal with profound implications for the achievement of various of various sustainable development goals, including health outcomes, education, and food security. This account examines the operation and maintenance challenges in ensuring safe drinking water in developing countries with particular attention put to Uganda. We find that the challenges to ensuring safe drinking water include operation and management, inadequate skilled labor, high operating costs, excessive repair and replacement expenses. Specifically, recognition of the challenges inherent in the ambitious targets is an urgent necessity is Uganda is to achieve the goal of quality water infrastructures, which involves restoring and maintaining clean water sources as well as promoting hygiene and investing in sanitation facilities. Furthermore, a national urban water and sanitation intervention is key to supporting urban authorities in the provision of safe drinking water. Community participation emerges as a desirable channel through which improved access to safe drinking water would be achieved in much of the country. Its main duties would be to set tariffs, provide consumer protection, and resolve disputes between sector stakeholders. We infer that the challenges facing provision of clean and safe water in Uganda revolve around poor consideration of operation and maintenance of water facilities in both rural and urban centers since limited consideration is given during planning, design, budgeting, monitoring and implementation of water projects. It is encouraged that government and development partners consider planning and allocation of resources in their quest to providing clean and safe drinking water to the population.