Nairobi residents in flood-prone areas to be evacuated ahead of El Niño rains
The Nairobi County government has put in place measures to prevent residents from being affected by the much-anticipated El Nino rains.
The county has instructed residents living in flash flood-prone areas to be ready to evacuate if their areas are affected by the onset of El Nino.
“Our mobility team has mapped out the hotspot area. They are very many, I can’t list all of them but we will give the details. In every sub-county, areas that are prone to floods, and areas that are prone to landslides based on the pattern and the expected rainfall, in some of the areas we will have to evacuate people. Some people will have to move especially in the informal settlements,” Governor Sakaja said.
Speaking at Uhuru Park when he commissioned 3,500 recruited young men and women environmental officers to begin work, the governor said that their recruitment is timely.
“…so that we are ready for the El Niño season when it comes. This is the largest single recruitment of environmental staff in the county since the 1980s. This reflects the urgency of the task, and the backlog that must be cleared in time for the rains.”
The governor said that his administration has started an operation targeting buildings that have been built on the riparian, and reserved lands.
“I have instructed the ward administrators, the sub-county administrators, and the inspectorate team not to have any negotiation with them, but to issue enforcement notice immediately, and by Friday to have removed all the illegal structures.”
He stated that some individuals have encroached on rescored lands, putting the lives of many people at risk when the long rains or El Nino starts.
“We are not going to do that demolition at night, but during daytime so that people will see for themselves the kind of impunity.”
Also, the residents have been asked to avoid careless dumping in the streets and their estates, saying that the penalty for any illegal dumping is going to be very high.
The County has assured the youth who will be cleaning the estates that their salary will not be delayed, asking them to also show their commitment by cleaning the areas they will be assigned to.
Lands Cabinet secretary Mr Zacharia Mwangi Njeru who was the chief guest lauded the county for creating job opportunities for the youth, which he said is in line with the manifesto of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Njeru said that through the collaboration with Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), and Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha), better services can be delivered to city residents and boost urban resilience.
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