This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
Published on August 24, 2020, thousands of residents along the Turkwel Dam basin are living in fear of a potential flood following an advisory that the water reservoir could spill over within the next week.
The Turkwel Dam, commissioned for hydro-power generation in 1991, has never filled up to its full capacity of 1,150 metres above the sea level in the past three decades.
Heavy rains in Mt Elgon and Cherangani Hills catchments have been attributed to the rising waters in the dam, with the water level currently at 1,145 metres and expected to spill over at 1,150 metres.
According to Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok, the onset of rains in October 2019 has caused most areas to receive above normal rainfall, leading to the dam filling up exponentially.
“We are providing alerts and sensitizing downstream communities to move to higher grounds should this trend worsen,” said Nanok.
The spillover is expected to displace over 300,000 people, damage irrigation schemes and infrastructure, submerge Lodwar town, lead to loss of lives and livelihoods, property, and destruction of the environment.
