•The water level at Ndakaini dam is 44 per cent.
•Most rivers that recharge the dam have dried.
Image: FILE
Nairobians should brace for tougher times after the cholera outbreak in several estates and the alarmingly low water level at Ndakaini dam.
The weatherman has further muddied the waters with the warning that there will be no rains any time soon.
The drought now in most parts of the country is likely to get worse.
The Star has established that the water level at Ndakaini, the major source of water in Nairobi, is under 44 per cent.
Nahason Muguna, the acting Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company managing director, confirmed that the water level is getting lower but downplayed fears of water shortage as the water in the dams can last up to October when the short rains are expected.
The other water sources for Nairobi are Sasumua Dam, Kikuyu Springs (recharged by Ondiri swamp), Thika and Chania B dams.
"We have to depress production a bit. We must tighten the equitable distribution programme which we are using today for water to take us to October, "Muguna said.
He said Ndakaini is now 44 per cent full, which translates to 31 million cubic metres. "For this water to take us to the short rains, we will be forced to reduce abstractions from the current 2.95 cubic metres per second to 2.0 cubic metres per second."
Muguna said the Northern Collector tunnel, which will drain into Ndakaini, is 70 per cent complete.
Some associated projects are at between 45 per cent completion rate and others at 50 per cent. The project is scheduled to be completed by September next year. The tunnel will bring an additional 140,000 cubic metres of water to the city.
He said with the reduction of abstraction, production will go down to 485,000 cubic meters per day which will force the company to strictly tighten the rationing programme.
Ndakaini dam manager Job Kihamba said the reservoir was at the same level as it was last year.
The Met Department on Monday said that most of the country will continue to be dry for the rest of this month.
In normal situations, May is the end of long rains season in most areas except the western region and the coastal strip where the rains can continue into early June.
Acting director of the Met department Stella Aura said their projection for May is that most parts of the country will receive below average rainfall apart from the western region.
They expect isolated storms that may cause flash floods over low-lying areas.
Aura said an analysis of the rainfall received in various parts of the country up to mid-April falls far below the long-term average for the period.
"The projected below normal rainfall for the remainder of April and for the month of May 2019 will not improve on the rainfall performance of the season," she said.
This is likely to complicate matters as June-August period is often dry in most parts of the country.
"Based on the current conditions and the projected weather conditions, dry conditions are expected to dominate most parts of the country leading to further deterioration of food security and water resources," Aura warned.
She said shortages of water will worsen.
Yesterday, Kihamba said most rivers that recharge Ndakaini are dry. This means the water being used in the city is solely from the dam.
He said supplying water to Nairobi residents "will involve a lot of delicate balancing. It requires a multi-sectoral approach."
Kenya has two rain seasons -the long rains season lasting March to May and the short rains from October to December.
The Met says there may be little to no significant rainfall next month.
This puts the city that is now grappling with a cholera outbreak between hard rock and a hard place.
Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhoea, leading to dehydration and death if untreated.
It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called vibrio cholerae.
NCWSC has been rationing water. On March 15, the company released a distribution programme to ensure that residents get water on certain days.
NCWSC will now have to revise the programme to reflect reality.
Nairobi gets slightly over half a million cubic metres per day against a demand of 700,000 cubic metres. This translates into a water deficit of 200,000 cubic metres per day.
Ndakaini Dam has a storage capacity of 70 million cubic metres. It is 65 metres deep. It is fed by Thika, Githika and Kayuyu rivers.