Africa-Press – Kenya. Nairobi residents are set to receive an additional 140 million litres of water through a new development project called the Northern Water Collection Tunnel spearheaded by Governor Johnson Sakaja in a bid to combat water shortage in the city.
Speaking when he visited Murang’a County on Wednesday, Sakaja confirmed that the project was on its final leg of development and that engineers are currently conducting final quality and content tests on the water before its full release into Nairobi’s distribution network.
“The time to talk is over. Expect clean water, and for those who have been getting water once a week, you will now see more,” he told Nairobi residents.
“This project is crucial, and we’re planning ahead to meet the demands of our growing population.”
Nairobi, which has a population of seven million daytime population and a five million nighttime population, requires up to 900 million litres of water a day to run seamlessly but currently, the supply lies at 525 million litres a day.
Noting the urgency of more water supply in the capital city, the governor stated that this new development would alleviate the water shortage that many residents across Nairobi estates face.
The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) Managing Director Engineer Nahashon Muguna, who was also present at the meeting confirmed that some parts of Nairobi had already started benefitting from the new tunnel.
“We are ready to supply the 140 million liters, thanks to our dedicated partners and team who have worked tirelessly to see this project through,” Muguna said.
Sakaja on his end thanked all stakeholders involved in bringing the project to fruition, including the National Government as well as both the Kiambu and Murang’a County Governments.
“We are grateful for President Ruto’s commitment to this project, and for the support of neighboring counties. We will continue to work together as we look toward phase two, which will further address Nairobi’s water needs,” he stated.
This significant step will not only bring relief to millions of Nairobi residents who experience water shortage but also accelerate infrastructural development projects in Nairobi.
In a statement addressing the water shortage despite heavy rains in Nairobi in March this year, NWSC confirmed that there were only four water sources supplying water in the country namely; Kikuyu Springs, Ruiru, Sasumua, and Thika Dams.
These water sources collectively have an installed maximum daily production capacity of 440 million, 61 million, 20 million, and 4 million litres respectively.
“Our water supply to the City is therefore limited to the installed production capacity. This means that even when we have our dams overflowing, the water supply will remain constant. We cannot go beyond the installed production capacity,” read the statement in part.
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