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No cause for alarm over Ndakaini dam spillage – official

Monday, December 16th, 2019 15:09 | By
Ndakaini Dam as of December 15, 2019.

Residents living downstream of Ndakaini dam have been assured of their safety even as the water  reservoir started spilling water Monday morning.

One of the officers in charge of the dam, who sought anonymity, said the spillage might not be too much as the rains appear to have subsided.

The officer said the discharge to the rivers might not have a destructive effect as earlier predicted.

"The dam has reached its full water capacity and the excess water is being discharged through the spillways but people should not panic," he said.

He, however, said if the intensity of the rains increases there could be more spillage.

The officer also said they cannot predict for how long the spillage will continue as this will be determined by the rainfall pattern.

"The water levels may also vary because we are discharging  water to Nairobi and thus the spillage could be more if there are more rains," he said.

The meteorological department has said the rains are likely to continue up t the first or second week of January.

Those living in the area adjacent to the dam have also been assured of their safety as the officer confirmed there will be no outburst.

The last time Ndakaini dam was full to capacity was June 2016 but there was spillage. In 2013 and the water spilled for 70 days.

Last year there were all manner of sarcasm when the dam could not fill up despite the heavy rains.

The officer said the rains only came for a short period and due to the prolonged dry spell the aquifers could not charge.

Last week various government agencies had issued a warning of imminent floods to the people living downstream of rivers Chania and Thika due to the spillage of the Sasumwa and Ruiru dams.

Ndakaini dam is one of the largest water reservoirs and has a capacity of 70 million cubic meters. About 80 percent of the water used in Nairobi is drawn from the dam.

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