NEMA shuts down three top hotels in Kwale for defying water quality regulations

Weldon Kipkemoi 14th Jul 2019 15:41:07 GMT +0300

The National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) has shut down three prestigious hotels in Diani, Kwale County for defying orders to comply with water quality regulations.

The three hotels are; Galu Inn, Sea Breeze and Eden Palace hotels.

Managers of the said hotels were also seized and booked at Diani Police Station awaiting to be arraigned in court on Monday.

Nema Kwale County director boss George Oyoo said they made the move after rigorous intervention that the hotels were operating without effluent discharge licence contrary to the laws of Kenya.

Oyoo said the Environment Management and Coordination water quality regulations of 2006 requires all facilities discharging effluent into the environment to obtain effluent discharge license from Nema after subjecting waste to laboratories for analysis.

"All non-compliant facilities including hospitals, colleges and slaughterhouses both private and public should comply or else face the axe," Oyoo said adding that the government could not allow shortcuts.

Another five hotels have also been put on notice and are facing closure, according to the officials.

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Mr Oyoo said the three hotels had earlier been served with notices but declined to comply.

He said they have watertight evidence to charge the trio with two counts; operating without an affluent discharge license and disobeying lawful orders contrary to section 143 of environment management coordination act.

To obtain effluent discharge license, the facility needs to present to Nema together with an affluent analysis report for Nema accredited lab.

"The reason why we are taking all these measures is to regulate and control amount of pollution load getting into environment and water bodies which may be harmful to human health," Oyoo added.

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