City’s thirst to quench with connector end
By Alvin Mwangi, August 29, 2024Water crisis in Nairobi will be a thing of the past after the construction of the much awaited multi-billion shilling Northern Collector Tunnel project was finally completed.
The Sh 9.5 billion project will begin pumping 140 million litres of water daily into Nairobi and surrounding counties in two-weeks’ time once the testing and flushing of the 55km Bulk Water Transmission Pipeline is done.
According to Principal Secretary for the State Department of Water and Sanitation Julius Korir, the tunnel will channel water drawn from rivers Gikigie, Irati and Mathioya into Ndaka-ini dam.
The water will later be processed at Kigoro treatment plant before distribution to Nairobi, Kiambu and Murang’a counties.
In the plan, Nairobi will enjoy the lion’s share of the total water distributed taking home 120,000 cubic meters per day, while Kiambu, Machakos and Murang’a will enjoy 7,000 cubic meters each every day highlighting the broader impact of the initiative on surrounding communities.
“This is a project that the people of Nairobi and the surrounding counties have been waiting for. We believe that once the project is fully operational, the water rationing in Nairobi will now be reduced significantly,” said Korir.
Speaking during an inspection of the ongoing testing and flushing of the pipeline, Korir revealed that while the project will not completely solve water scarcity in the city, the project will significantly alleviate Nairobi’s water deficit.
With a growing population, Nairobi requires a supply of 890,000 cubic meters of water per day compared to the current supply of 560,000 cubic meters.
With the increase of 120,000 cubic meters of water from the Northern Collector Tunnel project, PS Korir noted that the gap will be bridged as the government looks into other projects to completely solve water issues for city dwellers.
The Northern Collector Tunnel (NCT) System which was co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), World Bank and the Kenyan government comprises several essential elements, including the Northern Collector Tunnel, the Kigoro Water Treatment Plant, Raw and Treated Water Pipelines, and the Eastern and Western Water Transmission Pipelines.
The PS who was accompanied by several key stakeholders, including the Water Secretary, Eng. SAO Alima, AWWDA Board Chairperson Charles Karondo, and Athi Water CEO Eng. Joseph Kamau said the government