@alalmaurice
The Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company is working on a master water plan to help manage water provision and management in the county.
Company’s managing director Thomas Odongo said the plan will enable the company to identify water sources and the kind of technology to use when investing, to satisfy certain segments of the population.
Odongo on Friday said they are also working on the county wastewater master plan.
“If you are providing people with water then you must also give them solutions for waste water as well,” he said.
He noted that they are active on sanitation and are not only focusing on sewerage but also on site sanitation solutions.
“We are looking to have a large faecal treatment plant to take care of waste from the pit latrines and septic tanks in the county,” Odongo said.
He spoke during a tree planting drive at Kiwasco's Nyalenda lagoons after attending a WASPA conference.
The conference brought together water providers from across the county.
Currently, he revealed that the water coverage stands at 84 per cent which is about 36,000 active connections.
He noted that the total number of connections is around 55,000, meaning 19,000 accounts are dormant.
With 84 per cent coverage, Odongo says 16 per cent are still unserved.
He added that there are areas that are undeserved within their jurisdiction, forcing the company to do rationing in areas such as Riat because of inadequacy of the water source.
“You know River Kibos is seasonal and we supplement that from Nyahera Mkendwa and Orinde’s spring which is a result of climate change,” he added.
In the current strategic plan which lapses next year, Odongo says they plan to be at 85 per cent water coverage.
He noted that there are chances that by the time they do the next strategic plan they will have surpassed the projected coverage target for the last five years, despite Covid-19 pandemic which has affected their operations.
“We were happy to host other water body services both big and small. There is something that we always learn from each other. Whether you are small or big it doesn’t matter,” Odongo said.
He added that to fight the effects of climate change, they decided to incorporate environmental conservation by planting trees.
“We have today planted 1,000 trees at the Nyalenda lagoons. As Kiwasco, we have been planting trees and we’ve been up and about for weeks planting trees,” he said.
The MD noted that environment conservation is crucial to them because when the water abstraction points are polluted, the water treatment costs are high.
He says they use a lot of chemicals besides the high cost of electric bills and increasing electricity tariffs.
“It is therefore in our interest to conserve the environment to lower down the cost of producing water,” Odongo said.
He outlined non-revenue water which is being treated and lost as the main challenge the company is facing.
Odongo attributed the losses to dilapidated networks which are very expensive to replace. But he said they are progressively replacing the old pipes that were done in 1940’s.
Another challenge on non-revenue water is non- commercial losses which they have so far managed to address by embracing technology as they have digitised their system, he said.
“We have really improved on the way we interact with our customers. We are able to communicate with you at the comfort of your home,” he added.
Odongo noted that the focus is to do much more to reduce both physical and commercial losses.
He announced that they have plans to improve the company's water provision through funding water plants.
The company usually receives support from the county government during budget allocation that enables them to do extensions, new lines and new plants such as Eshivalu at Maseno in Kisumu West subcounty.
But internally, Odongo said they are seeking support from outside because of the current Covid-19 scenario. Grants have reduced so we engage in private partnerships in order to share benefits.
He said they are looking at the favourable commercial financing to enable them achieve the 100 per cent water coverage.
Currently, Kiwasco serves within the city which they are licensed for but in 2016, the county government mandated them to take charge of the whole county.
“We are now managing water services provision in the county. We are just about to sign a memorandum of understanding with the county government to formalise the mandate,” Odongo said.
Outside the Kiwasco service area in the peri-urban, he said there are Nyanas and Gulf water schemes which have several schemes across the county, providing water to residents.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
