State must develop national floods blueprint
It now seems clear that the problem of water in the country is a flooding one. Floods mean two things- destruction, and millions of litres of water going to waste.
The ongoing rains and El Nino that fell in the October-December season last year have met a completely unprepared Government. The level of lethargy is astounding. This is despite repeated warnings from the Meteorological Department that the rains will be beyond normal.
This is a good juncture to commend the Meteorological Department who have not only tremendously improved their capacity for weather forecasting, but have also become very proactive in disseminating that information and making recommendations for remedial action.
As expected, the huge rains have wreaked havoc across the country. Whole villages have been buried under floods. Extensive farmlands are underwater. Deaths are piling. Budling and vehicles have been swept away. All this because the Government was simply unprepared despite all the warnings!
The Government’s response has been to establish another “high-powered” delegation whose most visible work is to issue statements on the latest updates while standing at the entrance of Harambee House, a ritual performed religiously over the years during disasters.
So, for the three months of the long heavy rains, the country will experience millions of gallons of water going to waste- literally. And shortly thereafter, pastoralists in North Eastern, where most of this runoff water goes to waste, will soon be crying drought and lack of water for their animals.
This is because there is no plan to harvest all this water. This cycle must be stopped. And the only way this can be done is if the Government develops a masterplan to deal with the perennial flooding. This masterplan should have four pillars.
First, map all areas prone to flooding. Secondly, develop a comprehensive masterplan on how to address the flooding in those areas. Each area faces unique flooding challenges, and solutions must be customised to reflect that. Thirdly, seek long-term concessional financing for this massive project. Finally, give it a five-year timeframe to eliminate flooding in Kenya.
This project should be managed under a secretariat populated by a multiagency team. The team must include Government ministries and agencies like Transport (roads and bridges), Water and Irrigation (dams, water pans, irrigation projects), National Administration (relocation and settlement of people), Environment (assessment of riparian lands and swamps), Kenya Forestry Service (tree growing and regeneration of vegetation cover) among others. Among the directives coming from this exercise must be a map of areas where any development is banned.
Masterplan must include incentives for the private sector to embrace and invest in water harvesting. This should include a fund offering the private sector concessional financing for water harvesting projects.
It is very strange that over the years, Government knows that rains are coming. It knows the areas prone to flooding and the consequent devastation. The seasonal rivers that become gushing torrents during rains are known. The areas where people get displaced are known. The potential settlements where such people can be permanently relocated to and resettled are known. Yet, year in year out, the same occurrences take place with nauseating regularity.
Such huge projects changing the lives of entire communities and even nations based on management of water resources have been demonstrated to have a major positive impact on the well-being of the affected people in many countries. Examples abound.
But successive governments have completely neglected, refused, or disdained to concern themselves with the plight of people affected by flooding every year, and the heavy destruction caused. Is the Hustler Government ready to change this narrative?
— The writer can be reached at [email protected]
