The Migori Water Services Company (MIWASCO) is working towards addressing persistent water shortages in Migori and Kehancha towns, thanks to a sh300m loan from the African Development Bank.
The County Chief water officer Mr. Fidelis Majiwa, while briefing the press on the accessibility of MIWASCO water regretted that only a quarter of the local population was benefiting from the company services.
Majiwa expressed confidence that with the acquisition of the ADB money, they would be able to improve and increase the distribution water lines in order to reach more customers with their services.
“The money will assist the company reach more people and boost water pumping and treatment levels with a view to offering enough and quality water to the people,” said the chief officer.
He explained that out of the secured funds, Sh200m will be ploughed in bettering water services in Suna East and West constituencies that extends into Migori town while the remaining Sh100 million will be used in expanding services at Kehancha town in Kuria West Sub-county.
Majiwa said of late water distribution has been seriously affected within the two towns following destructions of waterlines by tractors working on the Kisii/Isebania higheway.
“We have had in the past months’ constant water disconnection to customers as a result of destructions of our service lines following extensive works ongoing on the Kisii/Isebania road,” he explained.
But he assured of concerted efforts to arrest the situation soon, following an elaborate work plan already in motion to correct the anomalies.
The local water Company has always blamed high electricity bills for the poor distribution, saying the Monthly bill of Sh3 million has been beyond its capacity owing to the small revenue it collects from selling water.
In an effort to elevate water harvesting power in the region, the national government years back supported the construction of two giant water intake facilities at Oyani and Nyangoto rivers in Uriri and Kuria West sub counties.
Through this, the Migori and Isebania water Supply and Sanitation projects were born under the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency (LVSWWDA) from funds sourced from GOK/Africa Development Bank (ADB).
The projects have however remained semi-dormant leading to perennial water scarcity in the region. But water experts believe that the two giant plants, built at a cost of over Sh3 billion are able to supply enough water throughout the year to the whole county and parts of Tarime in Tanzania.
by George Agimba
