End water crisis, Garissa locals urge county

Sunday November 19, 2017

An acute water shortage in Garissa has reached a crisis level as residents urged the authorities to act fast.

The residents yesterday said they spend most of their time looking for water.

Habiba Noor in Garissa town’s Bula Iftin said many children may soon drop out of school as they are always accompanying their mothers in search of water in far areas.

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“Most children risk being overrun by motorists as they look for water. We have big problem and see no forthcoming solution. We appeal to the county government to restore normalcy,” she said.

Noor said sometimes residents buy mineral water for cooking and other domestic since taps have remained dry for years.

“In the wee hours of the night you will see a child with a 20-liter jerrycan looking for water. This crisis is getting serious,” she said.
Another resident, Hussein Abdi, urged the national government to immediately intervene and offer a permanent solution.

“It’s unfortunate that we are crying over lack of water when the River Tana is less than 5km from Garissa,” he said.

Water was a campaign tool for political leaders in the runup to the August 8 election, with Governor Ali Korane promising to end the menace.

Garissa Water and Sewerage Company acting managing director Ahmed Adan said the fast-growing town has made it difficult to ensure there is enough water for all. Adan said the county administration has been supportive and has given them resources to ensure residents get clean water.

In 2014, Garissa Water and Sewerage Company said it loses more than Sh5 million a day due to vandalisim of water pipes, then managing director Idriss Mohamed said. He said the board replaces vandalised pipes at Bulla Tawakal and Bulla Mzuri almost weekly and every two weeks at Modika and Bulla Sheikh.

Mohamed said more than 100,000 homes are affected. “This is a major setback on our part since we are putting resources into the same thing.”

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