CS Erick Muga: Water CS Erick Muga ARges Kenyans to Store Water in this Short Rains.

Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation & Irrigation Eric Mugaa has encouraged Kenyans to think about collecting water as the short rains start to impact many regions of the nation.

In a statement on Monday, November 11, 2024, Mugaa noted that the country’s water storage capacity is insufficient and urged Kenyans to explore various rainwater storage options to enhance food security.

“The short rains have begun in some parts of the country. ” Let us prevent it from becoming surface runoff that ultimately flows into our lakes and oceans. Our water storage capacity is approximately 107 m³ per capita. In addition to our dams and other storage infrastructure, we can all enhance water storage by adopting rain harvesting techniques in our own small ways, such as through roof harvesting. Farmers can create small water pans, basins, and ditches on their farms,” Muga stated.
Muga emphasized that the collective efforts of all Kenyans to implement rainwater harvesting and storage techniques would greatly enhance agricultural productivity.
“The long-term objective is to establish sufficient water storage to address our flooding issues and utilize the water for irrigation. ” “This will subsequently enhance our food security initiatives,” he stated.

Rainfall is anticipated in the highlands to the east and west of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria basin, the Rift Valley itself, the southeastern lowlands, the coast, and northeastern Kenya during the first half of the forecast period. “Isolated storms may occur in certain areas of these regions,” stated the weatherman on November 5, 2024.

On September 26, 2024, Nairobi County collaborated with a Japanese firm to predict weather patterns and utilize drones to assist citizens affected by flooding.

Additionally, Nairobi’s governor considered plans in 2023 to acquire boats, inflatable rafts, and motorboats to access flood-impacted areas within the city.

This initiative followed instances where the city was inundated with running water after weeks of rainfall, which had overwhelmed Nairobi’s drainage and waterways.