The Naivasha Water, Sewerage and Sanitation Company has denied claims that it is contributing to the pollution of Lake Naivasha.
This comes after the company's sewer plant was identified as the main polluter of the lake, with studies indicating that it could not adequately treat human waste from the surrounding estates in the town.
Studies indicate that the plant has been overwhelmed by the high population in Naivasha leading to the waste flowing into the lake.
But the management of the Naivasha Water, Sewerage and Sanitation Company has dismissed the reports, terming its plant operational and very effective.
Company CEO Nahashon Wahome said they had met the set parameters while treating the waste.
Wahome however admitted that the sewer system in the town was overwhelmed due to the rise in population but maintained that the company's plant was fully operational.
“The main pollutants of the lake are well-known as the water discharged into the lake from our plant is fully treated and not contaminated as alleged,” he said.
Wahome said most of the faecal waste in the sewer plant was collected by a private institution that uses it to produce charcoal bricks for domestic use.
But Lake Naivasha Water Resources User Association chairman Enock Kiminta said on Monday the plant could no longer handle high solid and water waste.
He said studies indicated that there were high levels of coli and faecal in the water around the sewer plant.
“We collected samples from various points around the lake and the results indicate that water flowing into the lake from the sewerage plant is highly contaminated,” he said.
Kiminta said they had engaged the county government to upgrade the sewer plant that was constructed in the early 1980s.
“The current sewer system was meant to serve around 50,000 people but this has increased tenfold and the waste is not fully treated, hence the current crisis,” he said.
Earlier, Water Resources Authority subregional manager Jeremiah Nyaga said over 99 per cent of hotels and flower farms had adhered to the water treatment regulations.
“The Water Resources Authority is impressed by the manner in which these flower farms are treating their solid and water waste which is in conformity with the law,” he said.
