This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
Heavy rainfall in the upper parts of Gatanga Sub-county has led to the spillage of water at Ndakaini dam, which holds a capacity of 70 million cubic meters of water.
According to Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, the dam is safe but there is a possibility of flooding in lower parts of the county, including Ithanga and Ngelyelia, and neighboring counties.
Wa Iria led a team of officials to visit the dam on Tuesday to assess its current state and warned residents living near the banks of rivers Thika and Chania to move to safer places to avoid disaster.
The governor also expressed concern over the failure of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to utilize the spillage water, which he said could be used to provide clean domestic water to locals.
Job Kihamba, the Dam coordinator, observed that if the rains reduce in the coming days, the spillage will be minimal.
Ndakaini dam is the main water reservoir for Nairobi and its environs, but locals complain of a lack of clean water despite the facility being located in their locality.
Wa Iria questioned why there is still water shortage in parts of Nairobi city county, which is the main consumer of the water from Ndakaini dam.
