Let Kenyans not take warnings by authorities on El Niño lightly

NAIROBI: We must heed warnings issued by relevant authorities and ensure we are well prepared to mitigate against the effects of the oncoming El Niño rains. The Kenya Red Cross and the Kenya Meteorological Services have stated that even though there have only been sporadic rains recently during a period associated with seasonal rains, those who live in flood-prone areas or regions associated with mudslides cannot afford to be skeptical and dismiss flood warnings.

The two agencies have advised that preparations to protect families and ensure Kenyans are safe must be hastened. The laxity in preparations has largely been precipitated by the fact that by midweek, only few sections of the country were receiving light showers.

Except for storms in sections of the Coast and Garissa which experienced some flooding, the showers in Nyeri, Kisumu, Kisii, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Tana River, Isiolo, Kericho and Meru were quite light. Nevertheless, the meteorological department has warned that a deluge associated with the El Niño phenomenon is imminent and in response, the government has established a multi-agency team to deal with potential disasters.

The team, being coordinated by National Disaster Operations Centre, will comprise units from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Kenya Red Cross, the ICT Ministry, and other agencies.

It is expected to work with teams from various county governments, especially in disaster-prone regions such as Taita Taveta and Baringo counties.

In the past, Baringo and Bogoria have faced major crises when the two lakes experienced unprecedented increases in their water levels, resulting in calamitous flooding that inundated entire villages.

The swollen lakes marooned villages cut off health centres, tourist lodges and schools. In anticipation of the El Niño, the Baringo government has created a disaster-response unit to deal with the consequences of flooding.

Governor Benjamin Cheboi cautioned residents living in low land areas to remain alert during the rains, saying rivers draining into lakes Baringo and Bogoria are expected to burst their banks and cause flooding. To mitigate against this eventuality, Cheboi said the county has bought motorboats to help in rescue operations.

This is laudable, especially because the region took on board lessons learnt from previous disasters and developed various rescue scenarios that could help save lives.

Regions around the Tana Delta have also built in measures to reduce drownings on account of lessons learned in previous disasters, and recently, the Taita Taveta County and the national government set up a steering committee to deal with potential flooding episodes.

In this respect, the Taita-Taveta County government has commendably set aside a Sh20 million emergency fund to manage disasters.

Other regions must also begin to be proactive and prepare teams that can mitigate against the effects of accidents, and exploit such disasters to develop future survival tools. Although floods are a natural calamity, the run-off water can be put to more productive use.

Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro has suggested that water from the El Niño rains be harvested and reused for domestic purposes and irrigation, particularly in drought-prone regions. This has been proposed before but disappointingly, there has been little uptake.

Sanitation departments in many of our municipalities have also been slow in ensuring that drains are unclogged and ditches cleared to allow for free flow of water during the rain season. This is unfortunate. Policy makers and planners must find practical solutions to problems facing Kenyans. They haven’t always been spot on.

For example, many of those who live in flood-prone areas have complained they are often advised to move from their homes to higher ground, but say land is never set aside for their relocation. These are the sort of impractical solutions that should be avoided when we are faced with emergencies. Therefore, flood warnings should be taken seriously by residents and relevant state agencies.