Kilifi County Government has embarked on the unclogging and repair of Malindi town’s blocked drainage system following heavy rains that pounded the tourist resort town in the last few days.
The rains resulted in floods that destroyed businesses in various parts of the town after storm water from roof catchments bypassed the blocked drains and spread onto streets and business premises, with some traders complaining that they had lost merchandise due to the flooding.
Kilifi County Chief Officer for Roads and Transport, Philip Charo, acknowledged the problem and said his office had moved swiftly to unblock the drainages to ensure the free flow of water through the system to the Indian Ocean.
“My department, in conjunction with engineers from the Malindi Municipality, has inspected all the affected areas and embarked on removing soil and debris from the blocked drainages,” Mr Charo told journalists after launching the project.
He added: “The flooding was not caused by a lack of drainage facilities in the town. The rains came unexpectedly and overwhelmed the system, which unfortunately had also been blocked by debris and waste material from adjacent buildings.”
Charo urged Malindi town residents to desist from throwing litter into the drains, a practice he acknowledged was rampant in the town, and which he blamed for the flooding as water could not flow freely through the trenches.
“It is the responsibility of every Malindi resident to ensure that waste materials do not find their way into the drainage system,” he said, warning that those who throw litter or connect their sewers onto the storm water drainage system would be prosecuted.
Shella Ward Member of County Assembly, Twaher Abdulkarim, echoed the chief officer’s sentiments, saying the county government would do all it could to ensure the tourist metropolis is not flooded during heavy rains.
Yassir Abdalla and Mohamed Ali, traders who claimed they had lost various items to the floods, faulted the county administration for not taking adequate measures to prevent the town from flooding.
They called for a better drainage system that would cope with the amount of water flowing from the various buildings in the town.
By Emmanuel Masha and Kellian Mtawali
