@Yobramos4
Residents of Tudor Four in Mvita, Mombasa county are up in arms over raw sewage spilling of into their houses.
The sewage has submerged part of the road forcing pedestrians to look for alternative routes.
Residents said they have looked for help from the county in vain.
“I have seen them come here once or twice to check the matter but nothing has been done,” Salim Omar, a resident, said.
The situation is more dire at Tudor beach, where most residents relax or work out.
Houses are discharging effluent into the sea through underground rainwater ducts, polluting the beach.
“Ever since I was a little boy, we used to come here to swim and relax. But we cannot do that anymore because the sea has become filthy,” Hussein Guled, a resident, said.
He said swimming now other skin diseases due to pollution.
“We don't swim here anymore. Our children are frequently getting viral diseases such diarrhoea,” Guled said.
“We cannot travel all the way to Pirates and other public beaches while we have one here. The authorities should sort this mess."
Tudor Kwenye Map Youth Group chairman Sammy 'Moddy' Oundu said the pollution has destroyed their livelihoods.
The organisation is involved in environmental and mangrove conservation.
Moddy said it is unfortunate that careless residents are negating their efforts.
“The mangroves purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. So when they are destroyed by careless human activities, we should know that we are endangering our lives,” Moddy said.
The fish also consume the dirt and the cycle becomes vicious.
Moddy accused the authorities of laxity in dealing with the situation.
“All they do is just promise to act but nothing much is done,” he said.
He urged individuals building palatial houses in Tudor Four should protect the sea by building sewage treatment systems.
He said a huge project that will turn Tudor Beach into a proper recreational park has been mooted but rogue developers have become a stumbling block.
Muslims for Human Rights director Khelef Khalifa said each high rise building must have a biodigestor.
He said the biodigester will help to treat the sewer water before it is let into the sea.
“Unfortunately, these buildings bypass this requirement and illegally connect their sewage system to the storm water drainage system,” Khalifa said.
“The county must block all those private buildings that connect to the storm water system.”
“We are giving them two weeks to rectify the situation failure to which we will meet in court. This is a health hazard,” Khalifa said.
He said the law says before any approval for a building is done, one must have met all the necessary requirements.
“It seems there are things being done under the radar here,” Khalifa said.
Muhuri officer Francis Auma said the health of the residents should be a priority.
“We have come on a fact finding mission to assess the situation and see how best to approach the matter. We might have to take legal action,” Auma said.
Mombasa Transport and infrastructure executive Dan Manyala absolved himself from blame saying his department deals with storm water only.
“I have already established the system. The problem is the illegal connections,” Manyala told the Star.
He directed the Star to her Water and Sanitation counterpart Emily Achieng.
“I am actually heading there now,” she said.
Meanwhile, Muhuri wrote to the Manyala demanding a comprehensive report detailing the number of buildings within the county that lack vital installations like biodigestors and a clear explanation for the lack of enforcement regarding the legal requirement.
“We urge you to take immediate action to address this critical issue. We request a swift and decisive intervention to halt the discharge of raw sewage into the sea, have all buildings in the county comply with the biodigestor installation regulations and implement a clean-up and restoration plan for the affected areas of Tudor Beach,” read Muhuri’s letter in part.
