Prepare stormwater drainage

Counties, including Nairobi, are always in a dilemma when it comes to drainage infrastructure—from sewerage to roadside drains. The ongoing rains have exposed the soft under-belly of their failure to forward-plan.

Floods and the destruction of tarmacked roads are the order of the day. Roadside drains that should be well maintained and serviced are the cause of havoc and pain to many Kenyans.

Farmers waited for the rains when we had one of the worst droughts. They ended up losing the livestock that survived the dry spell. The country has witnessed the loss of lives, especially in informal settlements.

Most homes are now flooded, just because those in charge of infrastructural development have failed to plan our towns, cities and even rural markets.

We can develop very good tarmacked roads but, without good surface run-off for the stormwater, it will all be futile and a waste of resources. It is like putting money in a pit. Counties should prioritise the value of very good night soil disposal and surface run-off. 

No shortcut

There is no shortcut. The urban-rural migration means counties are growing in leaps and bounds. That calls for higher budgets for those very important aspects that will make the counties throb.

The infrastructure put up in the colonial era, and which most counties still use, is obsolete. Some counties are doing very well when it comes to the improvement of markets. What stinks is what will make them clean and neat.

Wastewater disposal and waste management, not to mention the state of toilets in the important business hubs, is wanting.

Just like health and good sanitation, environmental management is an expensive venture. Counties have to give the environment first priority.

The WHO defines health as the total well-being of an individual and not the mere absence of disease. This is what the counties should nurture and protect.

Mr Kigo is an environmentalist. [email protected].