Authorities in Budalang’i, Busia county, have asked residents in the area to start moving to safer zones as water levels in River Nzoia continue to rise.
Budalang’i is one of the areas in the country that experiences floods whenever it rains heavily, particularly in North Rift, channeling water downstream River Nzoia and into Lake Victoria.
Bunyala Deputy County Commissioner Paul Papa said on Thursday said water volumes in River Nzoia has steadily risen in the past one week, warning residents of a possible spill-over if rains continue.
“In our routine tours of the subcounty, we have noticed that water volumes in River Nzoia have increased,” Papa said in an interview.
“I therefore want to urge our people who live in low lands and in areas mostly affected by floods in the past, to start moving to raised grounds.”
“At times it can be dangerous especially if large amounts of water come down the river at night when people are asleep. At night it can be difficult to intervene and save the situation.”
Those the DCC said should be moved first are the elderly and people living with disability.
One of the worst floods occurrences to be experienced in the Budalang’i happened in mid-2020, when water displaced over 40,000 people. Almost half of Budalang’i was submerged, then.
On September 20, a team from the Kenya Red Cross and officials from the national and Busia county governments toured Budalang’i to sensitise residents on the importance of adhering to safety advisory alerts from authorities.
