- The assurance comes even as the Kenya Meteorological Department’s forecast showed that most parts of the country will generally be dry.
- Nairobi's demand is 790,000 cubic metres per day, leaving a deficit of 270,000 cubic meters per day.
Image: ALICE WAITHERA
The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company has assured Nairobi residents that they will continue getting the commodity.
The assurance comes even as the Kenya Meteorological Department’s forecast showed that most parts of the country will generally be dry.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development Climate Prediction and Application Centre has also forecasted worrying drier than usual conditions in Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company managing director Nahason Muguna told the Star on Friday that there was no cause for alarm.
“The Ndakaini dam is 87 per cent full. There is no cause for alarm,” Muguna said.
The MD said they conserved water during the rainy season.
Muguna said the city was being supplied with 520,000 cubic meters of water per day.
The city’s demand has however been rising.
Nairobi's demand is 790,000 cubic metres per day, leaving a deficit of 270,000 cubic meters per day.
Ndakaini dam can store 70 million cubic metres at full capacity. It is 2,041 metres above sea level and 65 meters deep.
The dam’s catchment area measures 75 square kilometres. It includes Kimakia and Gatare Natural Forests in the Aberdare Ranges.
The main rivers draining into the dam are from Thika, Githika and Kayuyu.
NWSC has been rationing the commodity to ensure that all residents benefited.
Authorities expect that the Sh6.8 billion Northern Collector tunnel will boost water supply to the rapidly increasing city population.
The tunnel is expected to inject an additional 140,000 cubic metres per day.
The Ndakaini dam which is situated in Murang'a county is the main supplier of water to Nairobi, which has a population of 4,397,073 people according to the 2019 census.
In 2019, it was estimated only 50 per cent of Nairobi’s 4.5 million residents had direct access to piped water.
The other half gets water from vendors, illegal connections and water kiosks.
Muguna said there is no cause for alarm as the available water will be distributed fairly and equally between 12 and 24 hours.
“People should store water and use it effectively,” he said.
Water supply to the city has been complemented by 193 boreholes drilled by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services in partnership with Athi Water Works.
At least two million residents, mostly in the informal settlements, are getting free water from the 193 boreholes.
The Sh1.7 billion boreholes supply more than 40 million litres.
NMS has also been distributing water using water bowsers.
On a daily basis, NMS distributes one million litres of water using 42 water bowsers across informal settlements in Nairobi in areas where there are no boreholes.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)