By M, KNA
Residents of Masalani town in Ijara Sub-county of Garissa are demanding restoration of water supply that has been a great challenge for many years despite paying Sh. 1000 connection fee per household.
According to the Chairman, Masalani watchdog, Mr Abdullahi Abdi, the water crisis has been occasioned by disconnection of electricity at the Masalani Water Supply Station and wondered as to why the payment has not been settled yet the residents were honoring their part of the bills.
“ Masalani residents are forced to dig deeper into their pockets due to acute water shortage, compelling them to buy a jerricans of water at Sh 30 each or to order for a water bowser at a cost of Sh3000 per tank, this is unfortunate and unacceptable,” the Chairman lamented.
Mr Abdi opined that the Masalani Municipality Water Supply should be privatized just as at the County Headquarters in Garissa town, where GAWASCO Company is rendering water supply services efficiently.
He cautioned that if the crisis persisted without prompt redress by the County government the residents would start paying the water bill directly to the Masalani Water Supply Station instead of sending to the pay bill at the Garissa County Government Water Department which has no clue of the impact of water crisis affecting Masalani Sub-county.
“I am appealing to the Garissa County, Department of Water lead by Mr Ahmed Dagane, The County Water Executive, to hasten paying the electricity bill accordingly and on time, this crisis is now getting out of hand and many institutions are in predicament,” the Chairman added.
Mr. Abdi noted that many institutions are in a mess, citing the recently commissioned Municipality market, Masalani Police Station and staff line, madrasas, the Kenya Wildlife Services Department, Masalani Sub-County Hospital, adding that water shortage has affected service delivery to the residents.
“Residents are, however, grateful to the late Mohammed Yussuf Haji Foundation for sinking three boreholes which are now the remedy to the erratic water supply in Masalani town,” the Chairman expressed appreciation.
The Officer-In Charge of the Kenya Power in Masalani, Mr Joseph Hezron, said the power company had been lenient enough to the County government and called for timely payment of the bills to avoid such suffering of the residents.
Ijara Sub-County Water Coordinator, Engineer Noor Mohamed, confirmed the disconnection of water supply and said that he is in consultation with the County Government of Garissa to have a consensus towards reconnection and resumption of normal services in the Sub-county.
The residents say they are worried of imminent waterborne disease such as diarrhea typhoid and cholera as clean water promotes hygene hence a component of a healthy population.
They called on all area leaders including, The Member of Parliament, Abdi Ali Sheikhow, Garissa Governor, Nathif Jama, his Deputy Abdi Dagane and the Garissa County Senator, Abdul Mohamed Haji, to champion for the privatization of Masalani Municipality Water Supply and constant availability of the precious commodity in Ijara.
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