Kidero cries out for help as El-Nino disaster looms
Governor Evans Kidero has asked residents and property owners in the county to get involved in minimising destruction during the El Niño rains expected this month.
Dr Kidero said the county government had established emergency teams in the nine sub-counties to ensure the safety of residents in case of disaster.
But he said because of the expected magnitude of the risks expected, the county government needed residents’ assistance.
Residents and property owners are expected to remove siltation and other deposits in open drains or on their premises.
They are also required to clear shrubs or any vegetation that could block the free flow of water.
Dr Kidero said residents will be required to do this at their own expense.
HEAVY RAINS
“No prior authority will be required and property owners and residents may receive specific orders to undertake these works at their expense,” he said in a statement announcing the measures the county government has put in place to deal with the impact of the expected heavy rains.
This comes amid apprehension by some residents and property owners that the county has not done much to avert a disasters in case the anticipated rains are destructive.
In May and June, the city suffered flash floods that caught the county government unawares and left a huge trail of destruction, claiming lives, damaging roads and property.
And since the El Niño rains are expected to be more violent, residents say if the drainage system is not improved, they fear there will be much more destruction than that which took place in May and June.
At Magiwa Estate in Mbagathi for instance, residents said the drainage system that got blocked in May has not been repaired.
HOTSPOTS IDENTIFIED
The county government, however, has prepared a preliminary report identifying hotspots where destruction is likely to occur if the El Niño rains, that were last witnessed in 1997/98, do come.
A team of officials from the regional government has been going round the city conducting public awareness campaigns where residents are educated on how to cope with a catastrophe during El Niño.
The team, comprising officials from the planning, environment and roads and infrastructure departments, has also been promising to protect property and human life should the rains turn out to be destructive.
