• Existing water treatment plants can only process 526,000 cubic metres daily against a demand of 790,000.
• Environment CEC Kangogo said that some estates in Nairobi lack water due to interruptions caused by maintenance on pipes by the Nairobi Water Company.
Image: FILE
City residents will endure water rationing until mid next year despite the ongoing heavy rains filling most dams and reservoirs.
This is because existing water treatment plants can only process 526,000 cubic metres daily against a demand of 790,000.
Environment and Water CEC Vesca Kangogo said that the county cannot do much until the installed production capacity is expanded.
"The estimated demand of water increases by 20,000 cubic metres annually. It is required as per the system that water is treated before its release. There will always be a deficit since we cannot release water directly from the source to consumers,” she said.
Kangogo said that some estates in Nairobi lack water due to interruptions caused by maintenance on pipes by the Nairobi Water Company.
“There are interruptions arising from leakages, sewer-bursts and damages which cause water from drainage to flow into conveyor pipes. To avoid all these, we occasionally shut supply for repairs in order to prevent contamination,” she said.
The capital obtains its water supply from Ndakaini Dam (80 per cent), Sasumua Dam (15 per cent), Ruiru Dam (3 per cent) and Kikuru Springs (2 per cent).
City Hall has said that Thika Dam's volume is 55.32 million cubic meters representing 79.8 per cent while Sasumu Dam is at 15.91 million cubic meters which represents 100 per cent capacity.
Ruiru Dam is at 2.98 million cubic meters representing 100 per cent its capacity.
Nairobi has faced a serious water crisis since January 2017, when water levels at Ndakaini Dam dropped below the anticipated levels.
Ndakaini produces 430,000 cubic metres of water a day, which is about 84 per cent of supply to Nairobi and holds about 70,000,000 cubic metres when full.
In February last year, City Hall said that water rationing would persist as Ndakaini Dam’s storage had fallen by 49 per cent to 34 million cubic metres
Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company Acting MD Nahashon Muguna had said that rationing would persist until two dams (Maragwa and Ndarugu dams) are complete.
“Rationing will continue until construction of two dams is complete. According to the master plan of water sources development in the city, completion will be in 2026,” he had said.
The shortage is projected to worsen with the Nairobi Water Master Plan showing the city will require 1.2 billion litres of water daily by 2035.
In April, Nairobi Water updated the Equitable Water Distribution Programme that caused residents to go for days without water in their taps.
Customers were urged to immediately contact the customer care team in regional offices should they not receive water in their allotted days of supply.
Northern Collector Tunnel
On November 27, Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said it will take six months to operationalise the Northern Water Collector Tunnel.
The project will increase the water supply to Nairobi by 140 million litres per day. The water will supply an additional 1.2 million city residents.
The collector tunnel, a World Bank-funded initiative, was launched on September 18, 2012.
Kangogo said the county will curb the water deficit by acquiring at least 140,000 cubic meters from the collector tunnel.
In July the Nairobi county government in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank planned to install a water pipeline from Kiambu to supply the city.
The water will be stored in a 14-million litre tank in Embakasi Garrison Barracks.
Governor Mike Sonko said the plan would ensure a steady supply of water in the city.
“We will have a 14-million-litre tank at Embakasi Barracks to address the bulk of the deficit and roughly mid next year the water situation in Nairobi would have improved," Kangogo said.
She urged the public to acquire good storage facilities and take advantage of the rains and supply in their estates.
“Contact our officers when there is any suspicion of water contamination. They’ll test it for free to confirm if the water is clean. If it requires additional treatment we will facilitate,” Kangogo said.
(edited by O. Owino)