• Lake Naivasha is fed by the River Malewa, amongst others whose waters would fill the dam.
• There are fears the lake could dry up if too much river water is diverted to the dam.
Environmentalists have renewed their opposition to construction of the Sh35 billion Malewa Dam, saying it could kill Lake Naivasha.
They held a press conference on Monday to renew their opposition to the dam that Governor Susan Kihika supports.
Lake Naivasha is fed by the River Malewa, whose waters would be diverted to the dam. Other rivers also feed the lake and would be diverted to the dam.
Eventually, the dam would provide residents of Naivasha and Gilgil safe, fluoride-free water and end the water shortage.
Environmental groups said the dam would lead to the death of Lake Naivasha, which is the mainstay of thousands of people and flower farms.
Earlier studies have said it would not harm Lake Naivasha but environmentalists said current scientific data is lacking, notably during the drought.
Currently, water levels in various rivers around Aberdare forests have dropped sharply due to the drought.
The national and county governments have embarked on fresh efforts to build the dam that has continued to draw opposition from conservationists.
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has said that her government was keen to work with the national government on the dam.
According to her, the dam would help address the issue of water shortage in Naivasha and Gilgil towns while dealing with the perennial problem of high fluoride levels.
But the chairman of the Lake Naivasha Basin Landscape Association (LANABLA) Paul Ruoya said the water towers in the Aberdare forest could not sustain another dam.
He said that the water tower was yet to fully recover from damage caused years back by loggers and charcoal burners who had invaded the forest.
“Currently the amount of water flowing from the water tower has reduced drastically and constructing a dam would lead to the death of Lake Naivasha,” he said.
Chairman of the Lake Naivasha Water Resource Users Association (LANAWRUA) Enock Kiminata admitted that lack of scientific data had led to the current impasse.
“The biggest fear is that diverting water to fill this dam will lead to the death of Lake Naivasha which employs thousands and contributes billions to the exchequer,” he said.
Kiminta said that it was not clear how much water the dam would hold and how much would be released to the lake.
“The same rivers that are serving Lake Naivasha will be used to fill up the proposed dam and this is one of the concerns we have raised in the past,” he said.
Kiminta said it would take more than seven years to fill the 45 million cubic metre dam with water from various rivers that currently flow into the lake.
“The biggest fear is that diverting water to fill this dam will lead to the death of Lake Naivasha which employs thousands and contributes billions to the exchequer,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)