Push to gazette Kajulu Hills as protected area amid water shortage
River Kajulu, which acts as one of the sources of water for Kisumu.
What you need to know:
- The Dunga plant can produce 44 million litres of water daily.
- The Kajulu plant can produce 36 million litres daily when the Kibos River’s volume increases
Kisumu environmentalists and residents are pushing for the gazettement of Kajulu Hills as a protected forest area to find a permanent solution to the periodic water shortage in the lakeside city.
The move follows a notice by Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company (Kiwasco), the city’s main water supplier, over reduced water volumes in River Kibos, one of its two intakes, due to a prolonged dry spell. The utility firm now depends on the Dunga treatment plant, which draws its water from Lake Victoria.
A section of environmentalists are also planning to file a petition to push for the same, saying the reduced water levels are due to deforestation.
They say that once gazetted, relevant government agencies will have the authority to tend the forest.
“As it stands, very little can be done to salvage the situation. The young plants will not grow to see the light of day as dangerous human activities threaten the survival of the forest,” said Mr Hanington Okoth, the programmes officer at Miti ni Dawa, a Kisumu-based environmental network.
He said human activities, including deforestation, illegal logging, grazing, urbanisation and charcoal burning, destroy the forest.
“With the growing adverse effects of climate change, the only remedy would be continuous conservation to bring back our dry water pans to life and ensure a constant supply.”
Residents have been surviving on rations. Affected areas include Guba, Wathorego, Gita Kibos and Otonglo. The situation is expected to escalate. “We have been subjected to water rationing for the past two weeks. Instead of a daily water supply, we only access the commodity twice or three times a week,” said Mr James Omondi, a resident of Guba, Kisumu East.
Mr Omondi said this is not the first time they are getting an irregular water supply due to harsh weather conditions. He expressed fears that the seasonal shortage may result in compromised sanitation and an outbreak of waterborne diseases.
In a notice on February 15, 2023, Kiwasco appealed to residents to reduce wastage and use water sparingly. “Our esteemed customers, supplied from the Kajulu treatment plant, cannot be served adequately,” said Managing Director Thomas Odongo.
He added that they had stepped up production at the Dunga treatment plant and urged residents to conserve the environment to preserve water catchment areas.
The Dunga plant can produce 44 million litres of water daily. The Kajulu plant can produce 36 million litres daily when the Kibos River’s volume increases.
Meanwhile, a junior Water Resource Authority employee who requested anonymity said the authority had begun gazetting Kajulu hills as a catchment area.
