Galgalo Bocha and Mathias Ringa
3 November 2009
Nairobi — Government has issued a fresh flood alert to thousands of people near River Tana.
District commissioner Elias Kithaura on Tuesday said although the heavy rains had eased, the water level in River Tana was rising due to downpours in Garissa and Ukambani.
"We are issuing a fresh appeal to those living in the lower parts of the river to leave as their villages might be flooded," he said.The DC said that Chara, Kone-Mansa, Wachu Oda, Galili and Kipao locations in Tarasaa Division were at risk.
Mr Kithaura said the Kenya Red Cross Society had supplied 32,000 people with food, but another 23,000 desperately need aid.
"The government is doing all it can, but we are also appealing to our development partners to assist," he said.Meanwhile, the government has stepped up the fight against water-borne diseases.
Coast provincial medical officer Anisa Omar on Tuesday confirmed that 12 people had been admitted to Lamu District Hospital with cholera, but were in stable condition.
Dr Omar said areas most affected by the waterborne diseases included Lamu, Magarini and Tana Delta districts, and attributed the outbreak to contamination of wells and poor hygienic conditions.
"The outbreak of cholera in Lamu is a result of poor hygienic conditions and contamination of water sources as wells are dug a short distance from pit latrines.
"And in Kanagoni, villagers relieve themselves in the bushes as they have no toilets and during floods, the waste is swept into dams," she said.
Dr Omar said homes in Lamu had been fumigated and residents given antibiotics while wells had been treated with chlorine.
Dr Omar said 1,000 mosquito nets would also be sent to the flood-hit areas.
Thousands of villagers in various parts of the Coast have been displaced by floods caused by torrential rains last week.
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A very interesting and thoughtful article. The best way for Africa to help itself with GHG is to stop exporting oil and gas to the outside world. Gas that is valuable enough to ship abroad and sell should be sold at a price that is competitive enough to keep it home. Catch all of that gas, and use it for yourselves. You will then have electricity and cooking fuel both. It is maddening to see forests felled for charcoal cooking fuel while cleaner-to-use gas is being wasted. Each of your nations should try to be the last to run out of fuel. Move to solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels from wastes for your energy sources.
Other activities to fight climate change troubles include the restoration of your waterways to full functionality by clearing the weeds that clog them and the silt that they have left behind.
Just a factual correction. Nigerian LNG is not sold to Benin, Togo and Ghana. There is a gas pipeline from Nigeria to these three countries. But it does not carry LNG. It carries natural gas under pressure. Unfortunately, becuse there is insufficient gas being gathered and shipped from Nigeria, the pipeline has been empty for over a year.
In today's climate talk that's going and will be converse more in December must not be damaging to Africa. Together, Africa MUST STAND FIRMLY and get what she deserves - BETTER and LASTING AGREEMENT. That's, what is beneficial for Africa. Any negativities effects concerning our people standard of living MUST NOT be accepted by any Africa Government. The days of a/an African Live seeing as less than an insect or any other most be OVER and SHOULD NOT be negotiated in any Climate talks. Our "Africans" lives and living standard is/are as important as any other lives. Therefore, as Africans head to the climate talk in December, please open your ears, listen carefully, don't be trick, and don't accept anything lesser to solve your prombles for the betterness of your people in the whole of Africa - period !!!!! The days of damaging Africans' lives, enviroment, living conditions; the physical and metal abuses should and most all come to an end. Therefore, we "Africans" should not be conveince with their sweet tooth to accept something lesser where'in our people keep continue to suffer and die for their pleasures and the lack of consideration for Africans lives and living standards. God Bless Africa
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