Landlords and other homeowners in Nairobi who depend on boreholes for water are increasingly getting worried.
This is because most boreholes are already running low on water – a situation many claim is occasioned by the prevailing drought situation.
Months of hot and dry weather has raised concerns among Nairobi residents and surrounding areas like Kitengela, Athi River, Rongai and Machakos.
Many feel that the current weather condition is probably a continuation of the 2020-2022 drought situation that faced Kenya – which according to reports was one of the most severe and longest in Kenya.
Peter Muchiri who lives in an apartment in Rongai, said that their borehole can no longer keep up with the demand for water.
“The caretaker keeps sending text messages to tenants informing us that there will be no water on this day and that day. Sometimes it’s the water pump that is broken. It’s no longer tenable,” said Muchiri.
It’s the same situation in Kitengela, where many apartments have come up, and with each of them a borehole.
“It is true that a number of boreholes have dried up here in Kitengela. Initially I would go out to get water from private boreholes, and come back with water that same moment, but not any more,” says Joseph Karanja who has a home in Kitengela.
“Today I have to place an order early, but still wait for upto two days before water is delivered to me. Mind you this is salty water,” he says.
According to Karanja, many apartments have come up, and concentrated in very small areas.
“There is this place within Kitengela that has nearly 20 apartments, and each has a borehole. But since they all sip water from the same water table, they have fished the water underground, and their boreholes have dried up. Now, they all have to buy water from other sources,” says Karanja.
The high temperatures and the corresponding demand for water in Nairobi and its surroundings has seen landlords pump too much water out of their boreholes.
However, without adequate rainfall to recharge, the boreholes are dying up, fast.
John Okoth, a caretaker of a residential building in Nairobi, says that shallow boreholes dry up faster when there is no rain, compared to deeper ones.
“I know a few houses around whose boreholes are running very low on water, or have dried up because of drought,” said John, noting that drought situations tend to last longer than rainy seasons – which means the aquifers are never restored well.
Residents feel that proper regulations are needed to ensure sustainability.
Also, many are asking for a more robust water harvesting and storage systems be put in place to mitigate the situation especially during drought.
