Digital and Data Advances Improve Flow of Work at Uganda’s Water Office
The second in our series on how data is improving public service delivery for Ugandans
By UN Global Pulse Uganda
Janet Ndagire remembers how, in the late 1990s, she navigated the tedious process of securing a water connection at her home in Kampala. A fortnight of assessments and paperwork secured her a metre and culminated in the gratifying flow of water. But she still had to queue at the National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to pay the bills.
Now Janet, who works as a project associate at UN Global Pulse, tells a different story. “I haven’t visited the office in over five years. Their services are seamless.”
Back in the 90s, NWSC was operating in 28 towns and generating Shs 150–160 billion in annual revenue. Fast forward to 2023, and it operates in over 273 towns nationwide, with an increase in revenue to Shs 500 billion. As engineer Jude Mwoga, Director of Information and Operations, explains, this threefold increase is due to a series of digital strategies that have streamlined the corporation’s work.
“First, we operate as a data-driven organization,” he said. “In every department, there’s a systematic approach for collecting, storing, analysing, and disseminating data.”
Take customer services, for example. The water office, which serves some 900,000 customers, prides itself on a robust customer relations system. It addresses complaints promptly, mapping and analysing them quarterly. This enables the network to identify areas experiencing water shortages and make informed decisions for system upgrades.
Similarly, when it comes to assessing water quality, samples are systematically monitored. “This informs our understanding of chemical consumption levels and areas where water quality may be deteriorating,” said Eng. Mwoga.
Beyond Kampala, imagine the cities of Jinja and Entebbe drawing water from the same source — Lake Victoria. If Jinja consumes significantly more purification chemicals than Entebbe, the inequality becomes a crucial data point. “This prompts us to investigate and take action, ensuring efficient resource allocation and addressing any potential issues in water treatment processes,” said the engineer.
In pursuit of efficiency, the water office is likely to invest in telemetry to monitor bursts in water piping, although the technology is expensive. “National Water is not there yet,” said Eng. Mwoga. “Presently, we rely on the social fabric. When someone calls and informs us, ‘National Water, we have a burst here’, that’s how we respond.”
But at least two or three water plants in metropolitan Kampala operate under the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. “They are highly automated, making it possible to handle almost all operations on the computer,” he said.
While the water office is improving its own operations, it is also integrating with other government entities, something Uganda wants to encourage as it moves away from keeping data in silos and develops a National Data Strategy.
Peter Mutungire, Information Technology Director at the water office, said phased data integration with other entities was contributing to an evolving landscape. “We are integrating with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) for the invoicing system,” he said, giving just one example.
Mr. Mutungire attributes this progress to the automation of systems at the NWSC, which is also exploring validating clients’ national identification numbers, contingent on successful data integration with Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority.
Ugandans may have concerns about personal data privacy, particularly when it comes to matters of tax and locating individuals. But Mr. Mutungire said: “The URA is authorised by law to access customer information. We share data strictly related to our customer’s consumption of water because this is what constitutes a taxable element.”
Mr. Mutungire reckons “organizational restructuring” has brought the office close to an ideal level of efficiency. Before, the IT team was merely under the Finance & Accounts department, now the team has autonomy. And thanks to the IT department, customers can apply for services and effortlessly pay through digital systems. So no more queues for people like Janet Ndagire.
Leveraging technology with prudent data usage is the way forward, according to Eng. Mwoga. The water company has come a long way, thanks to a policy shift from “profit maximisation to service coverage,” a supportive government, and the management’s commitment to continuous improvement.
