STEVE NJUGUNABy STEVE NJUGUNA
More by this Author
There was fear and panic among residents of Mbuyu Sub-Location, Gwa Kung’u in Nyandarua County after a newly-built public dam burst its banks on Tuesday following a heavy downpour.
The 100,000 cubic metres Karai dam built by the National Irrigation Board (NIB) broke its banks but, luckily, drained its water into an adjacent colonial check dam thus averting disaster.
NO HARM
Although there are no households near the dam, it would have caused harm to its neighbourhood were it not for the check dam.
The dam that cost over Sh100 million to build was commissioned in April by Agriculture and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri.
Residents of the semi-arid area have now been left without a source of water for irrigation and domestic use as they relied on the dam.
The residents accused the contractor of doing a shoddy job on the dam that was almost filled to capacity, saying repairs need to be done before the end of the ongoing rains.
LUCKY
“We are very lucky to be alive and also because of the fact that the dam burst at night and the water was collected by the colonial check dam. We thank God that the bursting was not disastrous,” said Ms Margaret Wairimu, a resident.
The residents have now demanded for the arrest and prosecution of the contractor and engineer who were in charge of building the dam.
“We are wondering if there were engineers on the site when all this shoddy work was being done. We want the government to take action against the contractor for carrying out shoddy work and endangering people’s lives,” said Dr Simon Kanyingi, a local leader.
They have also pointed fingers at the government for failing to ascertain if the dam structure had met all regulatory requirements after its completion.
TUSSLES
“It is a pity that when the dam was under construction, tussles emerged between the county and national government leaders on who lobbied for its funding yet no one has come to check on the current situation,” noted Dr Kanyingi.
Mr Peter Karanja, another resident, accused NIB for not seeking the locals’ opinion before putting up the project.
“The government should have given us tanks to harvest water at the household level instead of wasting its money on unscrupulous individuals.
“Why did they construct a new dam next to another that has served us for decades? Why didn’t they renovate and expand it at a much lower cost?” wondered Mr Karanja.
REPAIR DAM
Nyandarua County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich, while noting that the contractor will be recalled to repair the dam, warned contractors against doing shoddy jobs saying that risks people’s lives.
When he commissioned the dam, CS Kiunjuri had said that it would supply water to over 200 households after its completion and also help boost farming in the constituency, which was in line with one of the government’s Big Four agendas on food security.