Why we want Northern Water Collector Tunnel project stopped

SaveAberdareRivers.org community group has resisted the construction of the Northern Water Collector Tunnel project since the environmental social impact assessment statement was released in December, 2014, and approved by the National Environment Management Authority in February 2015.

Our information is based on the environmental social impact assessment statement and the report of the technical committee on the Northern Water Collector Tunnel project. The statement and the report are available on the websites of both Murang’a county and saveaberdarerivers.org.

The documents predicted many negative impacts to the county. The committee’s report said the proposed tunnelling could lead to changes in the underground drainage and drying of springs and rivers and that diversions from Maragua, Irati, and Gikigie would result in severe long-term effects.

It also said that Kandara water supply, the intake to Murang’a town, would not have sufficient water and that existing and planned irrigation schemes would not be feasible.

The report also questioned the rationale and functionality of the tunnel since “the dam fills in 1.5 months from the current river and spills for three months during the rainy season”.

Floods are discrete events. To optimise their benefits, dams are necessary for storage and regulated releases. If the tunnel conveys true flood flow, it could be non-operational during the four to six dry months of the year.

This is also when the demand for water is most urgent in the county and Nairobi. Therefore, the tunnel is unlikely to eliminate water scarcity. Shared multi-purpose dams would provide more benefits to the county and the city.

The County Assembly Speaker, through a paid advertisement, recently informed the public that the county approved the project in April, 2016, subject to several conditions in a consensus agreement between the county and the board. Among these conditions is that the water level of Murang’a county rivers should not be affected.

Water Resources Management Authority policies require that decisions regarding the apportioning of water be made through a consultative, transparent process. The marrying of the two reports was done in an opaque and non-inclusive manner.

CONTRADICTIONS SOLVED

There is no clarification on how the major contradictions between the two reports were resolved.

On Monday, October 17, 2016, county leaders held an urgent meeting at the Safari Park Hotel, ostensibly to seek information, deliberate, and make recommendations. However, contrary views were not allowed.

The leaders endorsed the project subject to numerous discordant conditions, mostly focused on financial compensation. The tunnel should stand on technical viability.

The committee concluded that the board had not considered the water demands downstream and upstream of the project’s abstraction points.

Recognising the omission, the board has advertised for consultant services for the preparation of a Murang’a county water master plan.

The consultants are expected to identify “a robust water source development strategy to ensure water security and meet growth demands for the next 25 years” and also investigate the viability of damming the River Maragwa.

This supports our contention that a comprehensive long-term water master plan for the Maragwa water basin should be a pre-condition for harmonising the metropolitan and county water master plans. Preparing the county water master plan after the tunnel is operational is equivalent to putting the cart before the horse.

According to the National Water Master Plan, “All water resources are managed, regulated and conserved in an effective and efficient manner by involving the stakeholders, guaranteeing sustained access to water and equitable allocation of water while ensuring environmental sustainability”.

By 2030, the metropolitan could require over one million cubic metres of water a day. Except for the stressed Aberdare and Mt Kenya rivers, there are no other readily exploitable sources.

To succeed in its mandate, the Athi Water Services Board should avoid antagonising rural populations by trying to impose on them unpopular projects.

We urge the board to suspend the construction of the Northern Water Collector Tunnel to allow the necessary geotechnical investigations, mapping of aquifers, preparation of mitigation plans, and resolution of the outstanding technical issues through a genuine, transparent, and inclusive process.

Mr Kimani is a civil engineer based in Seattle, Washington, USA. [email protected]