Residents living in landslide-prone areas in Murang’a County have been urged to be on the lookout as many parts of the county continue to experience heavy downpours.
The County Director of Meteorology, Anthony Kinyua, said the soils are saturated and steep areas can have land or mudslides. He noted that some parts of the upper zones have witnessed mudslides, saying that, unfortunately, the mudslides have caused huge destruction of property.
Mudslides have been reported in some parts of the county due to debris blocking roads, prompting residents in steep terrain to be vigilant for potential landslides. “Murang’a has witnessed huge landslides in the past, causing loss of lives and destruction of property, thus the need to take caution.” Added Kinyua.
In the month of April, the director noted it’s the peak of the ongoing long rains, saying some areas have recorded above-average rainfall. He also cautioned people living in urban areas against splash floods, saying some residential houses, especially in towns in the lower parts of the county, have experienced floods.
“Areas in lower areas of Murang’a are likely to experience floods. Rivers are swollen, and there has also been spillage at Ndakaini Dam in Gatanga Sub County. Residents in areas like Ithanga and Kaguku, which neighbour the Thika River, should be on the lookout for possible floods.” Noted Kinyua.
The Ndakaini dam has experienced over 2.5 cubic meters per second of water spillage in recent days, which is discharged into the Chania River, which connects with the Thika River. On Saturday night, Kinyua said the Kiambicho forest weather station recorded 53.1 mm of rain. “Some areas are even recording more than 100 mm of rain in a day.” He added.
Kinyua called motorists to exercise caution as some roads have witnessed mudslides with debris blocking sections of the roads. “Last week, some roads like Murang’a-Kiriaini and Nyoka Nyoka were blocked by debris as a result of mudslides, but the county disaster team removed them,” he said.
On her part, the County Red Cross Coordinator, Ms. Immaculate Iteba, said three houses in Kiharu and one in Kangema subcounties have been destroyed by mudslides.
Iteba said a trained team from the Red Cross is monitoring the situation in villages and advising locals on precautions to take.
“We have a team spread to various parts of the county to monitor the effects of the rains. In landslide prone areas, they are advising the locals to move to safer areas.” She stated.
By Bernard Munyao
