There is rapid growth and spread of water hyacinth in the region’s largest river, River Chania, in Thika.
The weed has invaded sections of the river, threatening the extinction of the only source of water for the region.
Residents of UTI estate on Friday called for an immediate solution.
“We should not wait until the river is fully covered by the weed like Lake Victoria. The concerned ministries including the Water, Environment and Natural Resources in both the national and county governments should move in,” said resident Antony Kibe.
Kibe said residents are worried that there may be an outbreak of waterborne diseases like malaria and bilharzia. The weed offers a breeding ground for mosquitoes as well, they said. “Agricultural activities along the river have been cut short and people living downstream run the risk of contracting the diseases since most homes, especially in Gacagi slums, depend on the river for water,” Kibe said.
Resident Peter Ngaruiya said the issue should be investigated as the weed might have been brought into the area by malicious individuals. “This weed is rare in this region and we suspect someone might have brought it here maliciously,” he said. Experts have accused the local factories of depositing waste water directly into the rivers, contributing to the spread of the weed.
Donatus Njoroge, a researcher at Mt Kenya University, said industrial effluent and raw sewage flowing into the river has caused the menace. “Hyacinth thrives on fresh water bodies that have been polluted by chemical effluent containing nitrate fertiliser, which explains why the weed is spreading rapidly along parts of the river bordering some of these industries,” Njoroge said. He urged the county government to ensure no raw sewage and industrial effluent are channeled into the river.
Requisite measures should be applied to curtail the spread of the weed.