Sewer leak sparks fear of disease outbreak in Makerere

SANITATION

In dilemma: Fears of a disease outbreak are rising in Makerere University after it raw sewage leaked into the main students’ walkways.

Residents of Lumumba Hall in particular and others who use the steps behind St Francis conference hall and just near lower building at the School of Languages Literature and Communication (SLLC) have reported the stench and poor sanitary conditions yesterday evening.

 Hon. Ronald Kyasiimire the GRC of Lumumba Hall expressed dissatisfaction and disappointment from the university authorities over the leaks and sluggish response by the university over the emergence.

“The filth from the sewer leak flow towards Lumumba and we are unhappy about the University’s reluctance on the matter,” he added.

“I blame the whole delay on allocation of the University funds since they do not make immediate response to certain emergences. Sewage was flowing all over and flies everywhere at SLLC and for the proceeding hours, I could not concentrate because the stink was too much,” Hon. Kyasimire said yesterday

 Students’ response

Hon. Lwasa Laban the GRC School of Forestry blamed the university authorities for failing to establish a monitoring unit that would be meant to check the irregularities at campus.

“If the university has a monitoring unit to always check on these problems, then we would be having immediate solutions. It’s a shame that this has not only happened once and each time it happens, only temporally solutions are provided,” Hon. Laban Lwasa said.

 “The state is very appalling. Although people don’t seem to care about the situation, the irritating smell is really annoying. The fact is that the broken sewage may cause disease outbreaks like cholera in case they get in contact with water connections. In makerere when you don’t ask you don’t get,” Elias Matsiko a resident of Lumumba Hall said.

“It is such a big embarrassment to see we have leakages in pipes and no immediate solution was met. These pipes are too old. The University should change the entire pipes and provide new strong ones long solutions for the sewer leaks,” Aggrey Nyondwa Legal advisor at the School board said.