By Reporter
Residents of four villages in Tana Delta Sub County are living in fear of starvation and disease outbreak after their livelihoods were destroyed by intrusion of sea water inland.
The villages most affected are in areas such as Ozi, Chara, Konemase, Marafa, Shirikisho, Odhole and Bilisa where river Tana changed its course hence meeting with a sea water channel at Kalota brook in the area.
Villagers of Mwanja village who spoke to journalists said that the situation had turned the whole area water to salinity destroying vegetation and depriving residents of fresh water for domestic use as well as for irrigation purposes.
“The problem is the Kalota brook which we built on our own got damaged by the recent flooding and we have not received any help hence exposing us to various risks including diseases. Women are now forced to walk 20 kilometers crossing channels to get clean water from the crocodile infested river,” said Mohamed Kone.
Mrs Muslima Kone said that school going children were also affected since the water channels had turned muddy due to siltation since sea water doesn’t wash away the silt.
“Children are suffering to cross these channels and women are forced to pull them out of mud when they cross to attend school and back,” she said.
The residents now want the ministry of environment and forestry to come to their aid by blocking the broken brook that normally blocks the sea water and fresh water from mixing.
Garsen MP Ali Wario said that the saline water had spread to a radius of 20 kilometers in the agriculture rich area and farmland had been intruded by the sea water.
He put the blame to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) for failing to take steps to create a buffer zone despite a budget of Sh. 30 million being set aside four years ago.
“We visited this area in 2019 together with then Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko and NEMA set aside a Sh. 30 million budget to construct a modern brook but we don’t know where the money went to,” he said.
