Thika — Water scarcity has hit Landless estate in Thika town with residents going for several months without the commodity.
The residents have accused the local water distributor Thika Water and Sewerage Company (Thiwasco) of colluding with cartels to sabotage water distribution so that they can take advantage and sell the water using water tank bowsers.
Led by area MCA Peter Mburu Muigai, they wondered how all other estates in the town have been receiving consistent water supply, while their taps have been dry for months.
The MCA said the water issue has run for decades in the area and little was being done by the company in scaling up distribution.
"The water shortage has been a challenge in this estate for years. We always depend on well and borehole water for survival. This is despite other estates in the town receiving water consistently. We blame this on water cartels," said the MCA.
Other area leaders, Francis Muthama and Patrick Kimani lamented that the residents were at the risk of disease infections as they are forced to use water from wells and boreholes.
They also blamed the water company for billing them despite lack of supply.
However, Thiwasco MD Moses Kinya attributed the shortages to the rapid population growth in the estate whose water demand they are unable to meet.
He said their current daily water supply is 36,000 cubic meters against a demand of about 60,000 cubic meters.
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He said the current water pipes are narrow and have not been upgraded for decades to match its increased population.
The MD however said a number of projects aimed at offering permanent solutions to the water challenges in the area are in the pipeline.
Kinya said contractors are already on site at the Thika main intake working on optimizing the old rickety supply system to scale up its production capacity.
"To increase access to water to the growing population, we need to completely overhaul the old system by replacing the old rusty pipes and replacing them with new ones, " said Kinya.
Another project that the company is relying on is the Sh24 billion Kariminu 2 dam one of the government's flagship projects in the Gatundu North Sub county that is set to supply water to Juja, Ruiru, Nairobi and Thika. It will produce 70,000 cubic metres of water daily.
Kinya said they expect to have an intake near Mary Hill Girls High School which is expected to inject into the system additional 15,000 cubic meters of water daily.
"This will end the water challenges that Thika has been experiencing. We hope to also stop water rationing once and for all," said the MD. - Kna
