Dithan Mukiibi2025-04-172025-04-172025-04-07https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11951/1552PostgraduateUganda is famous for hosting refugees in Africa and world over. Despite this prominence, providing for the needs of the refugees has come with challenges, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) inclusive. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the chlorination programmes implemented in refugee settlements in Uganda. The intent was on establishing the factors that influence free residual chlorine decay at point of use in the refugee settlements in Uganda. The study was contextualized on West Nile. Three refugee settlements were involved namely Omugo, Imvepi 1 and Pagirinya. Specifically, the study examined physicochemical quality and bacteriological load of drinking water in the three refugee settlements; assessed the efficacy of different types of chlorine disinfection programs used in the refugee settlements; sought to establish the relationship between storage conditions at point of use on residual chlorine and bacteriological load water in refugee settlements in West Nile; and sought to propose strategies for better management of quality of treated water at household level in refugee settlements. Water quality measurements, Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The study objectives were duly achieved and the major findings were; most of the physico-chemical and biological parameters of water at the source points lay within the permissible ranges of local and international thresholds except E-coli, EC, chlorides and total alkalinity. Therefore, chlorination was necessary to improve the potability of water before consumption by refugee households. The study also established that centralized chlorination system was applied in all the selected settlements. This occurred at the points of distribution before water was drawn for home use. The Free Residual Chlorine at points of distribution in the three settlements was 0.5mg/L. However, the free residual chlorine deteriorated at point of use leading to recontamination of the water. The predisposing factors for the rapid decay of the free residual chlorine and the eventual recontamination of the water were related to poor storage conditions including the cleanliness of storage devices or vessels and use of dipping system to draw water from the storage vessels including use of dirty utensils. Besides, poor personal hygiene of the refugees such as long finger nails equally affected the quality of the stored water, as well as the long storage time beyond recommended 24 hours, among others. However, the refugees were optimistic that rigorous awareness creation, increasing the distribution of standpipes (POD) and donating water collection and storage devices would remedy the situation. This study concluded that water recontamination at household level was a big problem facing the refugees in settlements in West Nile. This has increased vulnerability to waterborne diseases. The study recommended need for active engagement of the refugees for requisite behavioural and attitude changes, among others.enThesis