State urged to fund mega dam construction in Embu

A water firm has appealed to the national government to fund the construction of a mega-dam in Embu County for sustainable provision of water to residents at all time.

Embu Water and Sanitation Company (Ewasco) projects that a dam constructed in upper parts of the county to store rain water would replenish the flow from its current intakes such that during dry seasons there would be no rationing.

Ewasco managing director Hamilton Karugendo said such a dam is costly and would cost not less than Sh5 billion, a project that the company or the county government cannot afford to fund.

Speaking when Ewasco employees planted 1,000 indigenous trees at Njukiri forest to conserve the environment, Karugendo said most of the rain water pounding the county flows downstream to the Indian Ocean since Embu does not have a single dam.

“We need a dam so that we can continue supplying water sustainably even during dry seasons. Currently owing to the heavy rains we have adequate water and expect the situation to remain if the short rains will also be plentiful,” he said.

He revealed the company is currently able to attain the maximum of 30,000 m3 water required, but since the demand is lower, especially in lower area due to the ongoing rains, they were only supplying 18,000 m3.

A sizeable part of Embu County is semi-arid with the national government in 2016 having promised to construct four mega dams, but the construction is yet to begin.

Karugendo, at the same time, said as water sector players, they had resolved on annual tree planting exercises in a bid to raise the forest cover from seven percent to 10 percent for sustainable water supply.

Njukiini East Forest Station Manager Karuru Gathogo called on Kenyans to plant indigenous trees in wetlands, as they take long to mature thus retain water for a long period of time.

He also pressed for planting of exotic trees, which mature faster and would meet people’s needs for forest products.