Johnstone Ole Turana
30 September 2009
Nairobi — Water selling points are to be constructed in Nairobi's housing estates in a bid to ease the shortage of water facing residents.
The Athi Water Services Board, (AWSB), which has invited bids for the construction of the water kiosks, is also seeking to improve sanitation facilities in informal settlements and arrest illegal connections that are being used to divert water and rob the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company of revenue.
"The construction of the water kiosks is intended to ease the high cost of water residents are paying to existing privately-owned water outlets", said Kenneth Owuocha, public relations officer at the Athi Water Services Board.
The AWSB is mandated to develop water and sanitation infrastructure within its area of jurisdiction and hand over such facilities to the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company for management.
The plans envisage the construction of 10 water kiosks and 12 ablution blocks as well as the improvement of the sewer lines and provision and installation of 376 individual and 50 communal water meters.
The programme will cover Kahawa Soweto village, Gitathuru, Madoya, and Mahira villages. Other informal settlements that will benefit from the construction are Kambi Moto and Kiambiu villages.
According to Mr Owuocha, the installation of the meters will reduce the level of unaccountable water use and curb revenue loss to the water company. The board faces the daunting task of upgrading its ageing infrastructure which has been blamed for water leakage and illegal connections.
The improvement of water and sanitation facilities in the informal settlement is a five-year programme funded by the European Union. It comes at a time when the country is facing acute water shortages as failure of rains that has led to drying of major rivers across the country.
Nairobi and its environs are currently undergoing a water rationing programme.
According to the water board, "Kenya is a water scarce country and with intermittent drought the acute water shortage is exacerbated. Hence the urgent need to develop adequate storage facilities that will guarantee adequate water supplies in the face of unpredictable weather patterns."
The current crisis is blamed on the failure to implement previous recommendations to expand water reservoirs.
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