Water rationing doesn't work: we bought storage tanks!

By MUNGAI KIHANYA

The Sunday Nation

Nairobi,

29 December 2019

In April last year [2018], there was an outcry regarding the water levels at Ndaka-ini Dam. The public wanted to know why, with all the rains pounding all parts of the country, this reservoir was not filling up and Nairobi residents continued experiencing water shortages and rationed supply.

When the noise became too loud, the government formed a task force comprising senior officers from the ministry of water and the meteorological department to investigate why Ndaka-ini wasn’t full. They were given 60 days to give a report of findings but, up to now, over 600 days later, nothing has ever been heard from the task force!

As things stand, the rain seasons of 2019 have been heavier than usual. Managers at all the major dams in the country (including Ndaka-ini) have issued flood warnings since the waters are fast approaching maximum limits. Unfortunately, Nairobi residents still don’t have enough in their taps – rationing and shortages remain intact.

So, the problem of Nairobi water supply is deeper than the levels at Ndaka-ini dam. One of the greatest challenges facing the Nairobi Water Company is the losses in the supply system. About 40 per cent of the water released from the treatment works cannot be accounted for.

The Nairobi Water Company is fully aware of this problem. Reduction of water losses was listed as the third point in it’s 8-point strategic plan for June 2014 to June 2019. Unfortunately, the company has totally failed to achieve this goal!

As a result, nearly the entire city remains permanently under a rationing programme ever since I moved to Nairobi in 2001. The latest one was published on 26th November 2019. It is no longer called “water rationing”; its new name is “Equitable Distribution of Water”.

Looking through the programme, I found that some areas are supplied 6 days per week while others get only one day. Those getting 6 days are adjacent to critical institutions (for, example schools) and those with just one day are predominantly commercial office areas.

Nevertheless, if your house is supplied on the same line as an office complex, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble. The normal response has been to install storage tanks. The question however is how what size do you need?

A simple method of estimating is to allow 100 litres per day per person living in your house. Thus, if you have, say, five occupants and your taps are dry for three days per week, you will need 100L x 5 x 3 = 1,500L of water storage.

A casual inspection around my neighborhood reveals that most people have installed 2,300L-tanks. For that reason, their taps never run dry even with the most severe rationing!

It appears then that this Equitable Distribution of water (that is, water rationing) is not having the desired effect. It does not reduce consumption rates. The taps are not drying up at all. So, why is the Nairobi Water Company rationing the supply?