Turkwel dam safe despite heavy rains - KVDA

Source: Capital FM Kenya
Author: Ken Muthomi

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 6 - The Kerio Valley Development Authority(KVDA) has assured that the Turkwel dam is safe despite the heavy rains and floods that are ongoing in the country.

Addressing the media, the authority's Managing Director Sammy Naporos stated that the dam is currently at 1135 meters at sea level which he indicated is 15 meters less until the dam spills.

"We are happy to report that we are not yet at alarming levels. The levels today, we are at 1135 Meters above sea level, which means that we still have about 15 meters for the dam to spill and begin to overflow," he stated.

According to the interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, 192 dams in Central, Rift Valley, Coast, Western, Nairobi, North Eastern, and Nyanza have been identified as high risk and the government is currently evacuating residents residing near these water bodies to safer areas.

However, Naporos warned that no fishing will be allowed in the dam at night when it is experiencing some strong winds that might pose a life-threatening risk while those engaging in fishing during the day are expected to exercise caution by using life-saving jackets.

"We are also urging beach managing unit who are operating in this particular dam which is about 600km2that at this particular time especially at night that we are experiencing a lot of strong waves that may lead to loss of lives that they should stop fishing activities," he said.

The director has further urged people residing near Lake Turkana to exercise caution following a possible flood, due to the high inflow of the rivers streaming their water down to the lake.

Naporos has further urged Kenyans to remain vigilant and follow the government directives of not crossing flooded rivers to avoid loss of lives and properties.

According to the latest government statistics, the death toll in the countrywide flood tragedy has risen to 228 and has led to the displacement of 212,630 people countrywide.

"There are several rivers that leads towards Lake Turkana and there is a confluence in which these rivers join through Lodwar town, and we urging Kenyans living along the lowland that we will experience flooding," he stated