Environment PS calls for joint effort among counties to handle upcoming El Nino

The Environment ministry wants various county governments to work together in order to effectively deal with the expected effects of the El Nino rains.

Environment Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe said the counties need to work jointly to tackle any disasters that might emerge.

Dr Lesiyampe was speaking yesterday during a consultative meeting on El Nino preparedness between counties and the Government's multi-sectoral taskforce.

"We are happy that various county governments already have budgets to deal with the disasters that might come with the rains. But it will be good if counties from the same regions come together and realign their resources to deal with the effects of El Nino," he said.

The National Disaster Operations Centre Director Nathan Kigotho, acting Council of Governors CEO Jacqueline Mogeni and representatives from 47 counties also attended the meeting.

"We can have counties in the former eight provinces coming up together and pooling the resources they have set aside to fight the disaster," said the PS.

Lesiyampe said as a ministry they have projected that over 200,000 Kenyans will be displaced by the rains and two million people affected in one way or another, prompting them to come up with "robust multi-sectoral plans" to reduce the impact of the rains.

According to the PS, his ministry is also focused on taking advantage of the rains to harness water and he asked the public to follow suit.

"El Nino is not all gloom and disaster, it has its opportunities. The rains can recharge all our rivers, dams, boreholes and aid in reforestation. It can also be a source of water if we harvest the rains. Kenyans can take advantage of El Nino," said Lesiyampe.

A recent report by an intergovernmental committee on El Nino, shows the Government has a deficit of about Sh10.5 billion to mitigate its adverse effects.