The Nairobi County Government has announced new measures in response to the severe flooding caused by heavy rains on Sunday, May 11, which left several key roads in the city and its surrounding areas impassable.
Geoffrey Mosiria, Nairobi’s Chief Officer for Environment, raised concerns about what he believes is the main cause of the flooding in the city.
He pointed out that the construction of buildings on the county’s drainage systems is contributing to the problem.
Mosiria urged motorists to be extra cautious during the rainy season and warned landlords to be aware of the city’s stance on any structures that are blocking the flow of water in the drainage systems.
“We have issued a notice requiring the removal of structures built on top of drainage systems. With the growing population, more and more land is being covered by buildings, leaving less space for natural water flow,” said Mosiria.
“If you have built on top of the drainage systems, remove those structures before we do it for you, and we won’t be giving any further notice.”
He also highlighted that landlords who extend their buildings onto the drainage systems are violating the law, as it’s an infringement on government property.
In a separate warning directed at developers, Mosiria issued a safety notice for people living near riparian areas. He instructed them to move at least 30 meters away from both sides of the river to avoid the risk of losing lives, urging people to follow this directive to ensure public safety.
“We do not want to lose any lives,” he added. “If you fail to comply with this warning, we will have no choice but to forcibly relocate residents from these danger zones.”
The construction of more buildings without proper planning has, according to Mosiria, worsened the county’s drainage situation in various ways.
He explained that these developments block natural water paths, forcing rainwater to find alternate routes, which increases the risk of flooding.
On the ground, the aftermath of the floods painted a grim picture. Images and videos taken by Kenyans.co.ke showed several streets within the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) completely submerged, making it difficult for pedestrians and vehicles to navigate.
Earlier in the day, a wall collapse at a construction site on Suswa Road in Parklands left several workers trapped. As of this publication, the fate of some of the workers remained uncertain.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja recently spoke out on the issue, stating that the city’s drainage systems were designed to handle only light, seasonal rainfall, which has made the current flooding even more problematic as the city continues to experience heavy downpours.
Join Gen Z New WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
