This archive report was first published on 16 May 2020.
Residents of Nairobi are set to breathe a sigh of relief as water supply from Sasumua dam is expected to resume next week.
According to Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, contractors are already at the site repairing transmission pipelines damaged by a landslide in the Aberdare Ranges following heavy rains.
The Sasumua dam accounts for 11.6 percent of the water supply to Nairobi county, and its shutdown has worsened the water shortage in the city.
Heavy rains swept away the main water pipes running through forests in the Aberdare mountain range a week ago, cutting water supply to a significant section of Nairobi.
As a result, Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company was forced to shut down water supply at the dam due to the damage to the water transmission pipes feeding the city.
With the resumption of water supply from Sasumua dam, 11.6 percent of city estates and commercial centres will no longer experience water shortage indefinitely.
