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Nairobi, Ruiru taps run dry as water firms shut for repairs

WATER

Some of the main customers to be affected by the shutdown include the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Athi River’s Export Processing Zone and the entire Industrial Area. PHOTO | FILE

Nairobi residents are bracing for two days of dry taps following the shutdown of one of the city’s major water treatment plants for repairs at a time when thousands of consumers in Ruiru are just coming out of a similar outage that lasted for nearly two weeks.

The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) announced Wednesday that it will shut down its main treatment plant from Thursday morning to allow for maintenance and switch it back on Friday evening.

The Ngethu water treatment plant located in Thika draws water from Ndakaini dam and supplies about 85 per cent of Nairobi Water’s 280,000 customers.

The other 15 per cent supply is sourced from a smaller facility in Kabete.

“Whilst every effort will be made to restore the supply of water a soon as possible, we request customers in the affected areas to use water sparingly during the period of interruption,” said the Nairobi Water managing director Phillip Gichuki in a notice to consumers.

Some of the main customers to be affected by the shutdown include the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Athi River’s Export Processing Zone and the entire Industrial Area.

Residents of South C, South B, Pangani, Kahawa Wendani, Ruai, Donholm, Buruburu, Kariobangi, Eastleigh and Mathare are among city dwellers who will also be without water for at least 36 hours.

This latest outage comes at a time when managing director of the Ruiru Juja Water and Sewarage Company George Mungai on Wednesday promised customers that supply would be restored following a week-long repair occasioned by a major leakage along the main line that saw the populous township go without the basic commodity.

READ: Sh7bn pipeline set to ease Nairobi water woes

The water firm operates in a catchment area of approximately 300,000 residents and the prolonged shutdown had forced residents to buy water from vendors.

“There was a substantial leak on the single water pipeline to Ruiru which was urgently due for repair,” Mr Mungai said in an interview.

“We could not bypass the section with the leak without shutting down the entire system. We have installed a pipeline around the affected section that will allow us to complete the repair as supply continues.”

Over the past three years, Nairobi Water has shut down Ngethu Water Treatment Plant at least once every year, each time saying it intended to undertake repair works aimed at increasing supply.

Nairobi’s water demand stands at 750,000 cubic meters a day, against a supply capacity of 530,000 cubic meters. It is projected that the daily demand in 2020 will stand at 1.6 million cubic meters and climb to 2.2 million cubic meters by 2030.