The Athi Water Project was operated by the Kenya Department of Water. It served only a part of Kiveetyo. This supply became unreliable due to high costs of pumping and water treatment .The source was surface water from the Athi River which is heavily contaminated and carries high sediment loads. Due to this unreliability the community installed the gravity fed Kiveetyo/Kathyioli Water Supply, which even though it has very low water yields gives a steady flow of water which is rationed to the three main lines Kiveetyo, Kathyioli and Mutitu in rotation during the day.
Published on: 01/03/2012
The Athi Water Project was operated by the Kenya Department of Water. It served only a part of Kiveetyo. This supply became unreliable due to high costs of pumping and water treatment .The source was surface water from the Athi River which is heavily contaminated and carries high sediment loads. Due to this unreliability the community installed the gravity fed Kiveetyo/Kathyioli Water Supply, which even though it has very low water yields gives a steady flow of water which is rationed to the three main lines Kiveetyo, Kathyioli and Mutitu in rotation during the day. At night water is allowed to flow into the storage tanks of institutions mainly the schools. The community intends to build a larger reservoir in order to store the night flow.
Furthermore, plans are underway to harness more springs from up in the hills, a move which is likely to cause resentment from those communities living up in the hills who are unable to benefit from such a gravity system. One notable feature is that, although the Athi Water Project and the Kiveetyo/Kathyioli Water Supply served some common areas, they are not interconnected. They were constructed by different agencies. The community resists interconnection because it fears that it will lose control of its gravity fed system and will be forced to pay the Water Department as those who are being served by the Athi Water Project have to.
Vincent Njuguna †
