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Likoni to get more water to end perennial shortage

 

Likoni residents in Mombasa are set to reap big from the Sh175 million Dongo Kundu water project whose first phase will be completed by the end of this month.

The project, done by Suhufi Agencies, was launched last Thursday by Water CS Sicily Kariuki. It will increase daily water supply to Likoni by 5,000 litres.

Currently, the area receives less than 50 per cent of its demand. Some 55,000 households in Likoni will benefit.

Sicily said phase one involved construction of pipelines, air valves, section valves and washouts. Only about 700 metres of work remains.

The first phase will also see daily supply to the proposed Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone increase by 3,000 cubic metres.

The SEZ is expected to host various industries which will create employment for Mombasa youth.

The CS said phase two will involve piping of about 3km and this will eventually increase supply to the SEZ by another 10,000 cubic metres.

“The second phase was scheduled to be completed in November 2021 but this has been pulled forward to June 2021 because Mombasa people need water,” she said.

Sicily said Mombasa and the Coast region are in dire need of water.

Mombasa, she said, has less than 50 per cent water sufficiency.

The CS said the government is expediting the construction of the Mwache dam in Kwale, which will ensure 100 per cent supply to Likoni and other parts of Mombasa.

This is, however, expected to be achieved in 2026 when the supply to Likoni area alone will increase to 10,500 litres a day.

The CS said the Mwache dam project, estimated to cost Sh14 billion, will start in the next six months as the government makes strides in solving land issues that have dogged the project.

“It is a project which requires enormous amounts of land, which are owned by individuals and groups. By the time you negotiate, value the land and compensate, it takes a lot of sensitisation, discussion and conversations,” the CS said.

She said her ministry, working with the Lands ministry and the National Land Commission, has put in place a crash programme that will see significant progress by the end of the year.

“These processes are going on concurrently for us to be able to acquire the necessary land,” Sicily said.

The CS said sanitation programmes are also in the pipeline so as to ensure Mombasa residents improve their hygiene.

Currently, most sewage water is directed into the ocean, thus polluting the marine environment.

“Water, sanitation and sewage management go hand in hand. That is why we see there is quite low sanitation here,” she said.

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