Mombasa explores underground water sources to boost supply

Governor Abdulswamad Nassir at Hotel Sapphire on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

Mombasa is in the process of exploring underground water sources to reduce reliance on water sources from neighbouring counties.

The county does not have its own source of water and relies on Baricho Water Works (Kilifi county), Marere springs (Kwale) and Mzima springs (Taita Taveta), for its water.

 Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said the county is doing a hydrological survey to find out if the underground water will be enough for harnessing.

 “It has been done in many countries, including Ethiopia,” Nassir said.

 He was speaking to stakeholders from the built environment in Mombasa on Monday.

 Most developers are forced to dig boreholes for water because the water the county supplies is insufficient and is rationed.

 He said if the underground water is viable, it will save Mombasa the hustle of fixing water pipes.

 The governor said the county is forced to spend tens of millions of shillings fixing water pipes that are broken to get sufficient water.

 “All these lines are under Coast Water Development Works but we are forced to chip in because we are in need,” Nassir said.

 The Coast Water Development Works is a national government entity.

 The second option, Nassir said, is desalination of the ocean water.

 Desalination has been talked about since the onset of devolution.

 Nassir said the county did a feasibility study that shows it is feasible to desalinate the sea water.

 However, the governor noted, it will mean the cost of water will be slightly higher than it is now.

 “But it will be less than what you are buying at from mkokotenis (water vendors),” Nassir said.

 The water vendors sell water at Sh30 or Sh40 per 20-litre jerrican.

 They get the water from county sources at Sh5 per jerrican.

 “You can imagine someone somewhere is getting a profit six to eight times,” Nassir said.

 The governor said if desalination works, it would be a win for the county.

 The national government, in partnership with the World Bank and the county government, are working on a bigger pipe from Mzima springs in Taita Taveta county.

 However, Nassir said the project is far from complete and does not see it happening before 2028.

 Mombasa faces a shortage of water with the demand being 200,000 cubic metres of water daily against a daily supply of 40,000 cubic metres.

 Out of the 40,000 cubic metres supply, the company loses about half of it in terms of non-revenue water through theft and leakages.

 The Sh29.1 billion Mwache Dam project in Kwale county will help alleviate some of the water problems in Mombasa county.

 Mombasa, whose population has swelled to over 1.2 million people, relies entirely on groundwater sources and springs for its supply.

 Mombasa shares these water sources in Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties with several other smaller towns, such as Voi, Kinango, Malindi, Kilifi, and Kwale, and thereby receives less than a third of the water supplied by the system.

 The Mwache dam will impound 136 million cubic metres of water and will be supplying 186,000 cubic metres of water daily to Mombasa and Kwale counties for domestic use and irrigation.

 The project is expected to be complete in February 2027.