City residents suffer as water vendors make a kill due to shortage
What you need to know:
- Some city residents have had to endure weeks without water for basic domestic chores like laundry as they try to balance between other needs depending on their income levels.
- Already over 20 people have been arrested since a ban on car wash businesses was imposed in a bid to control water wastage.
Thousands of Nairobi residents are still digging deeper into their pockets as water shortage in the city persists while vendor make a kill.
Water vendors in the city, for the past three months, have been taking advantage of the irrational rationing programme by Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) which has failed to adequately address the scarcity of the essential commodity.
Ndakaini dam reached a low of 30.0 per cent and Sasamua dam 57.7 per cent in water levels as the drought season continues to ravage different parts of the country.
Some city residents have had to endure weeks without water for basic domestic chores like laundry as they try to balance between other needs depending on their income levels.
For instance, a 20 -litre Jerrican of water, is being sold at between Sh30 and Sh80 from one estate to the other.
However, NWSC’s managing director Philip Gichuki said on Tuesday at the company’s head offices in Industrial area that they are putting in place measures to ensure that all estates get sufficient water as per the rationing programme.
“We are trying the best we can to follow the timetable, but there are challenges. When there is a burst pipe, for instance, we have to disconnect supply until it is replaced,” said Eng Gichuki.
He said that water levels in Ndakaini are now at 30 per cent forcing them to reduce production of water supply by 20 per cent.
Eng Gichuki said the company has put in place stringent measures against big water users to ensure conservation.
According to him, already over 20 people have been arrested since a ban on car wash businesses was imposed in a bid to control water wastage.
And speaking separately during the flagging off of five excavators meant to be used to dig drainage systems, NCWSC board chairman Raphael Nzomo said that there is a ray of hope as rain has begun in the Arberdare.
Mr Nzomo said that the schedule by the company to end rationing in April is on course as the rains will see the flow of water in River Chania which pours in Ndakaini.
“We are glad that the weatherman has informed us that it is raining in the Aberdare and soon normalcy in our homes will return…be patient,” said Mr Nzomo.
Mr Nzomo said that the much water produced by the company over 40 per cent is wasted and does not reach the residents.
He wondered how in Casablanca a city with over 1.2 million is supplied with the same amount of water of 550,000 cubic litres and do not have water rationing while in Nairobi the company cannot sustain a population of 220,000 people with the same volume.
He asked the company to investigate the problem and come up with solution to curb the excess waste of the resource.
The national government and county government have pumped in Sh200 million to sink 40 boreholes to mitigate the water shortage in the city.
