By Shaban Omar
The long-standing water shortage affecting residents of Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi counties could soon become a thing of the past as the multi-billion-shilling Mwache Dam project in Kinango Sub-county, Kwale County, nears completion.
The project, which has experienced years of delays due to financial constraints, has now reached an overall completion rate of 86 percent and is expected to begin impounding water by October this year.
According to the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, construction of the dam wall has reached 87 percent, with approximately 13 metres remaining before completion.
Once operational, the dam is expected to abstract about 186,000 cubic metres of water per day, equivalent to 186 million litres, significantly boosting water supply across the coastal region.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the project, Water Principal Secretary Julius Korir expressed satisfaction with the pace of construction, saying the project was progressing steadily.
“We estimate that within the next four to five months, the remaining works will be completed and we will begin impounding water,” Korir said.
He noted that the government had initially hoped to complete the project before the onset of the long rains, but budgetary challenges caused delays.
However, the PS assured residents that adequate resources had now been mobilised to fast-track the remaining works.
“This is one of the key projects the ministry is implementing to ensure that people living in the Coast region have access to adequate and reliable water supply,” he said.
Korir explained that the project is designed to harness, store and regulate water for domestic and industrial use across the region.
He said the second phase of the project involves the construction of a water treatment plant located about half a kilometre from the main dam site.
“The contractor has already begun mobilization after the contract was signed, and work on the treatment plant will commence soon,” he said.
After treatment, the water will be pumped to Mazeras, where a major storage reservoir will be constructed before distribution to various parts of Mombasa County.
Korir added that the third phase of the project will involve laying transmission pipelines that will supply water to Mombasa Island, the North Coast and the South Coast.
Water Secretary and Project Manager Engineer Samwel Alima said the government was also implementing complementary projects aimed at increasing water availability in the region.
He revealed that plans were underway to bring additional water from Mzima Springs to further enhance supply to residents.
Alima said the ministry was also constructing water pans in several areas to provide communities with clean water for drinking and domestic use.
“We are implementing several interventions to ensure communities have access to reliable water services as we await the completion of the dam,” he said.
Wendot added that most of the critical project components have been completed, including alternative learning institutions such as ECDE and primary schools, and are ready for handover to the respective authorities
Programs Secretary and Deputy Project Manager Hosea Wendot said the ministry had also rolled out livelihood restoration programmes for persons affected by the project.
He said affected households had received support in the form of fertilizers, agricultural equipment, startups and capacity-building training to help improve their livelihoods.
“We have specific groups within the project-affected persons that we know are going to be farmers and some operating butcheries. So we will be giving them equipment for them to benefit from the development and ultimately have better living standards than before,” Wendot said.
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