This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
Heavy rains in the Aberdare Ranges have filled the Ndaka-ini Dam to its 70 million cubic metre capacity, a feat not achieved since 2016. The dam, located in Murang'a County, has been spilling water downstream into the Thika river, posing a minimal flooding risk to the Ithanga ward in Gatanga sub-county.
According to Job Kihamba, the dam's manager, the spillage is expected to be short-lived as the rains in the Aberdare Ranges have subsided in the last few days. The dam had hit 69 million cubic metres on Sunday morning, with an inflow of 5.278 cubic metres per second by yesterday morning, down from 5.664 cubic metres per second on Sunday morning.
Measures have been put in place to prevent destruction in case the spillage increases, with residents warned to relocate should the Thika river swell. The Chania river has also reported increased water levels following spillage from Sasumua dam in Nyandarua County.
