Garissa residents have been urged to store water for use during the anticipated flooding of Tana River, which is the main source of water in the area.
According to the meteorological department, the area will experience heavy rains in the coming days that is likely to cause heavy flooding disrupting water treatment intake on the river.
Talking to KNA on Friday, water CEC Abdi Omar said that significant mud and debris flow into Tana River would increase the turbidity levels, reducing the quantity of water produced at the GAWASCO treatment plant.
“There will be potential spillovers from hydro-electric power generating dams’ upstream river Tana that would consequently raise water levels. This will further increase the sediments and silt in the river posing a huge challenge in water works,” Omar said.
“It would therefore be advisable for the residents to store water in earnest and use it sparingly during this rainy season,” he added.
Omar however noted that his department has created a proactive essential emergency response to cater for water shortage in the affected areas.
The CEC said the relevant departments among them Garissa Water and Sewarage Company (GAWASCO) are closely monitoring the water levels in the river.
He added that when the turbidity of raw water is higher than 5000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), it can cause operational problems for water treatment.
By Erick Kyalo and Jacob Songok
