Government urges Kenyans to buy tanks and harvest rainwater

Kenya’s Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, has urged Kenyans to buy tanks and harvest rainwater for future use. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Oguna said buying water tanks will enable many people harvest the rainwater from the ongoing rains.

He said this amid floods in the country following heavy rains that have been pondering parts of Kenya for several weeks now.

“Please take it upon yourself to buy your mothers a water tank as a Christmas gift, ensure that they are able to trap and store that water for future use,” he urged.

The heavy rains have wreaked havoc in parts of the country causing deaths and displacing thousands of people from their homes.

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Oguna said each individual should take initiative instead of waiting for the government to do its part.

Over 300,000 people have been affected by the flood, and ten counties have been adversely affected. The affected counties are; Marsabit, Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Lamu, Turkana, Tana River, West Pokot, Kwale and Mombasa.

In May, The Davis & Shirtliff CEO, David Gatende asked the government to partner with the private sector to provide water harvesting technologies, as wells as consider changing building plan approvals.

The call by Gatende came in the wake of the heavy rains being experienced in different parts of the country followed by prolonged dry spells that bring about starvation and death of people and animals.

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He notes that National Water Master Plan 2030 is not clear on guidelines to ensure the water harvesting initiatives are taken up at all levels despite acknowledging that climate change will affect water resources.

The National Water Master Plan 2030 was launched in 2014 as a product of an intensive study of Kenya’s water resources and meteorological conditions to facilitate planning for development and management of the same.