Anxiety grips Tana Delta residents as water levels rise

Anxiety grips Tana Delta residents as water levels rise

The Kenya Red Cross has urged Tana River residents to move to higher grounds after water levels hit the red mark on the Garissa Bridge.

Already over 400 people have been displaced in Garissa by the Masinga Dam overflows.

The angry waters of Masinga Dam, one of the largest dams in the country holding millions of cubic meters of water started overflowing on Wednesday, troubling locals in Garissa, 300km away.

The agricultural showground in Garissa town that is right in the central business district is also completely submerged by the furious waters.

“We have nowehere to go, only God can help us,” one resident said.

It is estimated that since the overflow began ,  it would take 72 hours to get to the Tana and by midnight it could swallow a huge chunk of the Tana Delta posing a serious risk to those living there.

The floods have already devastated the lives of more than 115,000 people living the Tana Delta .

The government has since set up temporal shelters but the food rations are reported to be running out fast.

The internally displaced persons are now calling on the government to compensate them for a loss they say could have been averted had the dykes maintained.

“I had 10 acres of land filled with water melon, they have all been swept away by water,” said Hassan, a resident

A village in Kilifi is also feeling the pain of the floods after River Sabaki broke its banks.

Acres of destruction have left the village in shock after they woke up to a pool of flowing water on their farms with the next planting season expected next year.

For now, the two counties await to establish the magnitude of the water from upstream and the amount of harm it will cause.

Tags:

Floods in Kenya masinga dam Garissa Bridge Tana Delta

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories