Lands CS Zacharia Mwangi asks Sakaja to work on City drainage system
Calls for a long-term solution to the frequent flooding of major roads and some estates in Nairobi during the rainy season continue to draw various suggestions from locals and government officials.
The latest is from the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Mr Zacharia Mwangi, who suggests a stormwater drainage system should be installed.
Speaking in Nairobi during the commissioning of 3,500 environmental officers at Uhuru Park, the CS said flood management is a vital issue that needs attention from both the national and county governments.
“There is a need to develop a stormwater drainage master plan for the Nairobi Metropolitan region as a well-designed combined infrastructure,” Mr Njiru said.
The CS said the drainage system will be critical even as the country braces for El Niño, which is predicted to start in October.
He said that during prolonged rains, flash floods flow from Kajiado County through Ngong Hills to Machakos and Nairobi counties.
The CS added that mapping of hotspot areas remains a key response area that should be taken seriously by the two tiers of government.
“We want to ask the public to cooperate with the authorities so that those in buildings and areas identified as risk areas can be evacuated and reduce the likelihood of injuries and fatalities.
Further, the CS has asked other counties to emulate the steps taken by Governor Sakaja to ensure that the locals are not affected by the floods and to prevent damages.
“We are ready to support and we will be furthering this energetic effort across matters in human settlement, urban and metropolitan development space.”
In August, the Kenya Meteorological Department, through its Director Dr David Gikungu, issued a forecast of a possible El Niño from October to December.
The governor of Nairobi, Johnson Sakaja, said his emergency services were ready for the task and urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if their areas are affected by flooding.
Mr Sakaja said the county would disseminate information to residents through the media, including the hotline number to call during the expected flood crisis.
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