About 50,000 Kisumu residents are set to benefit from the Sh242 million Riat-Otonglo Water Project.
The project, which was launched on Thursday by the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga aims to address acute water shortage in Kisumu West.
Raila also handed over a tittle deed to the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency for the one-acre land he donated to the project.
He said water is a necessity, essential to life and the area has been having issues for a long time.
Raila said that's why they decided to partner with the LVWATSAN to put up a high- capacity tank to boost water supply.
"I am happy to preside over the launch of this water project and hope it will eventually address the challenges," he said.
The project will be done in two phases and will address acute water shortage within the upper western corridor including Riat, Korando B location and Kogony-Kanyamedha regions.
Water will be abstracted from Lake Victoria and pumped to a water treatment plant within Otonglo, where clean water is pumped to Riat hills and gravitated back to supply the areas with acute shortage.
The shortage is because the current water supply infrastructure does not cover these areas.
Water supply to the areas requires pumping, which pose operational challenges to the water service provider KIWASCO.
The Otonglo- Riat water supply project is intended to improve water supply within Kogony, Korando B and the environs.
This in turn will improve the livelihood of the community and enhance productivity.
According to the project brief by LVWATSAN, the agency is keen on identifying long term and sustainable water supply options within the entire Kisumu county.
However due to financial constraints, the state budgetary allocation for the current financial year can only implement phase I of the project.
Phase I will be done within 12 months and is expected to achieve a 1.2 million volume storage of water, to serve 10,000 by 2023.
The scope of work includes rehabilitation of Otonglo Water Treatment Plant to restore production capacity of 1,700m3/day.
Also, laying three kilometres of pipeline from Otonglo to Kanyamedha holding tank and construction of 350m3 reinforced concrete tank at Kanyamedha site, including a booster station.
Others are laying of three kilometres of pipeline from Kanyamedha holding tank to Riat Hills, construction of water reservoirs at Riat hills; 500m3 reinforcement tank, 200m3 elevated steel tanks and an eight kilometre gravity distribution pipeline.
The agency is currently sourcing for additional funds to implement phase II of the project, which will cost approximately Sh150 million to extend the water distribution pipeline to reach more beneficiaries.
The second phase is expected to start in March 2023 and be completed in June 2024. The additional volume of water storage to be achieved is 2.4 million litres.
"Commencement of phase II of the project however depends on the availability of funds to implement the planned water supply expansion activities," the agency said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
