Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Alice Wahome has commissioned the Pemba Intake Dam and Water Treatment Works in Kinango sub county of Kwale.
The Pemba Dam, constructed in the 1980s, is located along the Pemba River and is a concrete gravity weir 4m high and 25-30m long. The sides of the weir were eroded by El Nino rains making impoundment of water impossible hence the need for rehabilitation. CS Wahome also said the intake and treatment works also became dysfunctional and required replacement to restore the system to the design capacity.
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Scope of project
The work involves the rehabilitation of dam/weir and spillway, installation of new raw water intake, installation of new raw water pumping station and rising main, construction of new conventional water treatment plant of 3,000m3 per day capacity. Others are construction of new houses for operators, construction of operation/ lab and chemical stores and associated civil works.
The dam in now once again operational after about five years of work Over 30000 people Kwale and Mombasa counties are set to have access to drinking water and the dam will also be used for crop irrigation.
Currently, about 28 million Kenyans still do not have access to a safe water source out of the East African country’s population of nearly 58 million, according to the international organization Water.org. Kenya aims to achieve universal coverage for all Kenyans by 2030.
“As we strive to achieve reliable access to safe water for all, we also call upon stakeholders to work together in the protection of our water catchment areas,” said CS Wahome.
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