• Nema says city sewer system is not working, discharging raw sewage into water bodies.
• Government agencies like NCWSC identified among top polluters of Nairobi River
Image: ENOS TECHE
Acting Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company MD Nahashon Muguna narrowly escaped arrest for failing to comply with an order to repair sewer lines.
"We had come to enforce a restoration order here. Unfortunately, the MD was tipped off and left the office abruptly. We have sent out the summons. We are going to arrest and charge him," National Environment Management Authority acting DG Mamo Mamo said.
Mamo arrived at the water company's offices on Monday morning to arrest his NCWSC counterpart.
Dejected, he returned to his office on Popo Road, South C. "The acting MD will be arrested," he told the press.
He said the sewer system in the city is not working and raw sewage was being discharged into water bodies.
NCWSC had been given restoration orders and are yet to work on discharge points.
Nema recently launched a 100-day rapid results initiative.
Board chair John Konchella said 30 arrests have been made in a swoop that has also led to the closure of 48 facilities.
"We have issued 37 restoration orders," he said, adding that a similar exercise has happened in other parts of the country.
Konchella said the authority will continue working with other agencies to ensure a clean, secure and healthy environment.
Decades ago, Nairobi River water was sparkling. It abounded with fish and other creatures like the water beetle.
Nairobi was then referred to as the green city in the sun.
Cool and clean drinking water could be sourced from rivers Ngong, Nairobi, Mathare and Mbagathi.
Today, Nairobi is technically a dead river.
Studies on the various tributaries of the river and basin conducted in the 1990s showed evidence of high levels of chemical and organic pollution.
Government agencies like NCWSC are among the top polluters.
Sources, however, revealed that top Nairobi county officials could also be roped into the mess.
Mamo said 122 discharge points have been established, allowing raw sewage into the rivers.
He said the authority has been treating symptoms instead of going to the root cause of the issues.
"Some of the challenges we face in our efforts of ensuring clean rivers include solid waste management, the encroachment of riparian reserves by informal settlements, pollution of rivers by effluent from sewer lines, poor planning, insecurity and inaccessibility of informal settlements and inadequate resources," he said.
Konchella said an inter-ministerial framework for the reclamation of Athi Sabaki River basin will be created.
He said the authority will enhance its research capacity to generate scientific data for its coordination role.
Edited by R.Wamochie