Dilapidated water infrastructure hurting Thika water provision

Thika, Sunday, May 7, 2023

KNA by Muoki Charles

Dilapidated water infrastructure and low production capacity has been blamed for continued water rationing that has bedeviled Thika town over the years, despite efforts to make it a smart city in the future. 

Thika Water and Sewerage Company (Thiwasco), the local water provider, says they have been grappling to meet the demand of 75,000m3 against its 39,000m3 production capacity.

Managing Director Moses Kinya said the water infrastructure was established in 1950’s, and its last production systems were commissioned 32 years ago when the town’s population was relatively low and has hurt their production capacity.

Addressing an annual stakeholder’s consultative meeting, Kinya said the company which has been accruing high maintenance cost with regular breakdowns that often result in stoppage of water supply.

“The infrastructure requires billions of shillings to be overhauled as well as set new ones. They are overwhelmed as they were set when the town was small. Currently, the huge population brought by the growing number of industries and colleges can’t match our production demands,” he said.

Further, the MD noted that the company has been struggling to foot its electricity bills with 17 percent of the firm’s total revenue generated being used to pay for power alone.

Also, at the centre of water shortage in the busy town is the continued dry spell leading to reduced water levels at their catchment.

However, according to the MD, all is not gloomy as the company is working with the national government to inject 20,000m3 of water daily from the just Sh24billion Karimenu II dam.

“The Kariminu11 dam comes as a huge boost as it will at least ease the challenge. We have established offtake and treatment sites and soon, we shall be getting 20,000M3 of water daily,” he said.

At the same time, the company is eying a huge boost from a Danish International Development Agency (Danida) Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF) Sh 11 billion project that will also inject another 36,000M3 of water per day once complete.

Stakeholders lauded the company for its strategic projects hoped to bring to an end the decades of water scarcity in the town.

Led by the Thika Business community chairperson Alfred Wanyoike, Ngoliba MCA Joakim Njama and his Gatuanyaga counterpart Jackson Kung’u decried that at this time and age, residents still suffer from water shortages especially during dry spells.

Courtesy; K.N.A