Dirty, thirsty city residents as shortage bites for several months now

Business

By James Ratemo

Mr Taabu Mashaka (not his real name) is a thirsty and dirty man.

Water taps in his house have remained dry for the past two months.

What worries him most is that vendors who have been serving him with the precious commodity are hiking the prices daily.

At his Nairobi’s Umoja Estate home, a 20-litre container, which he has been buying at Sh10 or Sh15, is now retailing for as high as Sh50.

The price keeps scaling upwards as the demand increases.

A father of three, Mashaka says water scarcity has become a nightmare.

"My house stinks. There is not enough water to flush the toilet and now I have been forced to ration water in my own house.

No shower

"I often spend up to three days without taking a shower to save the little water for food and washing my children’s clothes," he says.

A woman queues for water in Kawangware Estate in Nairobi, Thursday. [PHOTO: COLLINS KWEYU/STANDARD]

And he is not alone. Many Nairobians are suffering since the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company started rationing water a few months ago.

The company said the water level at Ndaka-ini Dam had dropped drastically.

The situation comes at a time when there are reports of cholera outbreaks across the country.

And the rainfall experienced recently is nothing to write home about, meaning the crisis could remain for a little longer.

Households with children and babies are suffering the most, bearing in mind the high water requirement for laundry and food.

Same story

In Nairobi’s Pipeline, Embakasi, Buruburu, Kayole, Donholm, Dandora, Mathare, and Kibera estates, the story is the same.

Residents are spending many hours daily looking for water. Worse still, the conditions under which such water is being ferried portends a health hazard.

There have been reports of sewerage bursts, thus the risk of water contamination.

Interestingly, a survey by The Standard reveals that despite the water scarcity, some parts of the residential estates receive water. This has seen water vendors making a kill.

In Nairobi’s Eastlands, owners of ‘Clean Water’ tankers have positioned themselves all over and are raking in huge profits.

Despite the dirt and risk of contamination, food hawking is booming as hungry residents consume the food.

Public Health Minister Beth Mugo has promised a crackdown on street food vendors, but she is yet to take action.

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