HerDithy: the Dam- Betrayal #5

The world is covered with 71% of water. Land makes up only 29 percent of that. By 2024, global warming will see Africa facing one of its worst water crises in the century. The rich- poor gap extends to the delivery of basic services such as the supply of water. Water scarcity, rapid urbanization and over-population of towns in Kenya is a continuing crisis with the rate at which the population is rapidly growing. In Kenya, we use water to generate geothermal energy, agricultural usage, human and animal consumption. Most of this water comes from water catchment facilities, but are they adequate to sustain the country in future?

From the moment you open that tap, most of us have a rough or no idea where the water comes from or where the water goes. Urban planning ensures that most basic amenities are adequately provided for in order to sustain urban developments. Maji ya Kanjo is a common phrase in the concrete city that most Nairobians use to describe the inconsistent supply of water to their homes. Do not forget, they still pay for this appalling service.

Water goes hand in hand with sanitation. If you have seen the famous USIKOJOE HAPA sign on walls across town, that is an indication of the notoriety of Kenyans: but is it really? Sanitation is a huge challenge to those living in rural and slum areas: 48% of Kenyans lack access to basic sanitation solutions. Public spaces that should offer amenities such as free public toilets are another nightmare. The local authorities charge ten shillings to use such a facility: once you pay, they give you tissue that they wrap on one hand, amounting to five boxes of tissue paper. Six if you are lucky, or if the attendant figures you have serious things to deal with in that foul small cube.

Picking up another angle, let us shift to the Northern parts of Kenya and demystify why a drought- stricken area can be hit with terrible floods and not much is done about it.  

Northern Kenya consists of 27 counties that are arid and semi-arid areas. Looking at the social, cultural dynamics that play out in that part of the country, majority of the communities engage in pastoralism as a day- to-day occupation. The draught crisis has been a thorn in the flesh, water being a scarce commodity that the pastoralist communities have been subjected to go miles in search of it for decades. Draughts are generally associated with the failure of seasonal rains but when the clouds come out to play, for some reason, the overdo it. It is poor Kenyans who deeply suffer when mother nature cannot just hold it in.

Heavy floods destroy roads and bridges that in turn affect commerce chains and delay crucial services such as medical emergencies and interventions. They destroy homes, displace thousands, and leaves hundreds of thousands at the risk of contracting water- born diseases such as cholera that has claimed many infant lives. Mostly, the mitigation for drought and floods is through an emergency response plan but not building long- term sustainable projects like dams.

Do you remember the promises of at least 57 dams back in 2017? They turned into scandals with fingers pointing to the usual culprits who said, “Ata sikuwa pekee yangu; ulizeni XYZ alitoa pesa zake wapi!”. This merry- go- round continues to cost Kenyans innocent lives, then we ask why things are not getting better. Access to clean water is a basic right, but those we elect rob us off the very essence of life. The quality of the leaders elected is a reflection of its citizens; may we do better for ourselves and the generations after.

 

Mwihaki Karanja



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