The Government has warned the residents of Garissa, Tana River, and Lamu counties to be on the lookout for flooding along the banks of River Tana following reports that the Seven Forks Dams were filling up.
The largest of the reservoirs, Masinga, started spilling over after water reached its high-water mark of 1056.50 metres above sea level.
The last dam in the cascade, Kiambere, is expected to fill up and spill over in the next four to six days if the inflows continue at the current 328 cubic metres per second.
A high-powered government team that included Interior and National Administration PS Raymond Omollo, Energy PS Alex Wachira, Kengen MD Peter Njenga, and Garissa MP Dekow Mohammed Burow assessed the status of the dams and instructed members of the national administration in the downstream counties of Garissa, Tana River, and Lamu to start sensitising residents to expect enhanced flooding and move to higher grounds.
Mr. Omollo said the National Disaster Response Command has been operationalized and will be moving in to help affected communities.
We are looking at what they need, and together with multiagency in the counties, we shall be moving to mitigate against the effects of the flooding and prevent loss of lives.
Mr. Wachira said that in the long term, they are taking measures to prevent flooding in the future.
He said they’ll be inviting bids in January for raising the Masinga dam spillway by 1.5 metres while the proposed construction of the Grand Falls Dam will be done on a private-public partnership when the studies are complete.
He said when the dam is completed, it will not only help flood control but will also increase power generation by 461 to 561 megawatts.
Garissa MP Dekow Mohammed Burrow said flooding has been frustrating farmers in Garissa and Tana River and said the proposed enlarging of Masinga and the construction of the Grand Falls Dam will be a big relief to the farmers who have in the past been frustrated by flooding.
By Steve Gatheru
