Lack of preparation for El Niño rains worries Garissa residents
A photo in the Daily Nation on January 27, 1998 shows an oil tanker negotiating what remained of the Kambu Bridge in Mombasa after it was swept away by floods. There is little or no preparation for the El Niño rains in Garissa County in spite of the Meteorological Department’s warning to Kenyans. PHOTO | NATION ARCHIVES
There is little or no preparation for the El Niño rains in Garissa County in spite of the Meteorological Department’s warning to Kenyans.
Compared to other parts of the country, the county government is yet to embark on a public awareness drive.
County Communication Director Abdikadir Sugow declined to comment on the preparations for the heavy rainfall that is expected to start in the second week of this month, according to the weather man.
“During heavy rains in November last year, most of my neighbours’ houses were destroyed. The drainage system is blocked and the county government is doing nothing about it. We fear the rains might cause a lot of damage,” Mr Ibrahim Adhan, a resident of Garissa Town, told the told the Nation on Monday.
The semi-permanent stalls at the Suk Mukdi market (black market) were washed away together with traders’ merchandise.
Mr Adhan appealed to both the national and county governments to ensure that the El Niño rains do not cause misery among residents.
In Wajir County, rains are reported to have paralysed transport because of poor roads, yet the county government is doing little to improve the situation.
