Nairobi residents are facing water rationing due to the falling levels at Ndakaini dam.
Already, the Kenya Meteorological Department has announced the expected rains will be depressed.
Nairobi City Water and Sewage Company MD Nahashon Muguna told the Star on Monday that stringent measures will be applied once the water levels hit 29 million cubic meters in the Ndakaini dam.
“We will have to cut production so that what we have we spend it over from Mid-March to early November,” Muguna said.
Muguna said should the expected rains come, they will harvest around 10 to 12 million cubic metres.
If the rains fail, the going will get tough.
Muguna said the Ndakaini dam on Friday was at 44 per cent, holding around 31 million cubic metres.
“We are producing 515,000 cubic metres per day. We are waiting for a round on March 15. But if we do not see rains, we will be forced to drastically cut production so that the water we have in the dams can take us through to the short rains,” he said.
By March 8, the levels were at 44.7 per cent, or 31.3 million cubic metres.
Some rivers feeding the dam have dried up, and authorities hoping the skies will soon open up.
The dam produces 430,000 cubic metres per day of water, about 84 per cent of the total water supply to Nairobi residents.
It is the main supplier of water to Nairobi, which has a population of 4.3 million as of the 2019 census.
The city's population is expected to hit 10 million by 2030, further straining the water supply.
Muguna said the Sasumua is at 62 per cent, which is around 9.6 million cubic metres.
Ruiru dam is at 1.98 million cubic metres.
Muguna spoke at Kibera when Water PS Paul Rono oversaw the disconnection of more than 800 illegal water points.
At least 40 suspects arrested in Nairobi in the operation led by PS Rono.
On Friday, 500 illegal water connections were disconnected in Kibera, Lang'ata.
The crackdown named Lipa Maji, Tunza Maji started on February 16.
Muguna said they plan to plant one million trees within the catchment areas should rains pound.
“We are prepared to plant around one million trees in the catchment once the rains come. We have partnered with Coca Cola and the Kenya Breweries to plant around a million trees in April, when the rains come,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
