By Ally Jamah
Millions of residents of Nairobi’s Kibera slums may soon get clean water from the Nairobi Dam, thanks to a new water purification system piloted in the area.
Local Government Minister Musalia Mudavadi Tuesday launched the cutting-edge technology from Netherlands, which turns the greasy, polluted water from the dam into clean drinking water in five minutes.
Kibera residents rely on expensive water from vendors, which is expensive for most residents.
Speaking at the Sailing Club in Lang’ata, Mr Mudavadi lauded the technology from Multi-Purpose Industries (MPI) and urged the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company to use it to supply Kibera slums.
"This is a major step in solving the water crisis," he advised. Mudavadi took sips of water from the dam after it had passed through an intensive five-step filtration process.
The dam’s water was declared unfit for human consumption years ago.
The mobile purification unit can churn out 60,000 litres of clean water every day and several units can supply the entire Kibera slums.
It can also be used to produce drinking water from the sea and sewers. It costs Sh6 million.
"Some people used to think they can’t drink water from the Nairobi Dam. But people are now downing glasses cheerfully," said MPI CEO Bart-Jan Rozeboom.
The Dutch Ambassador to Kenya Laetitia van den Assum said her government had set aside Sh4.9 billion to improve access to clean water.
