Masalani town in Ijara Sub County has suffered a severe water crisis for the last two months following disconnection of electricity at Masalani water supply.
According to Masalani watchdog chairman Mr Abdullahi Abdi and women groups’ chairlady Amina Yussuf, some residents paid their water bills at Sh1000 per household per month through a pay bill created by Garissa County government while others paid to water cashier’s office in Masalani town.
The residents are now calling on the relevant department in the Ministry of Water to investigate if there is corruption involved at the source or at the Garissa County Government’s Water Department.
The residents lamented that it’s alleged that Masalani Water Supply Company owed Kenya Power Sh300,000 leading the Power Company to disconnect power supply at the intake paralyzing water supply.
The Sub County Water Coordinator Eng. Noor Mohamed confirmed the pending bill of Sh300,000 owed to Kenya Power but noted they had sent a payment voucher to Garissa County Department of Water and they expected the bill to be cleared soon.
The Officer in-charge of Operations at Kenya Power Mr John Hezron also confirmed the pending bill saying power would be re-connected immediately the County Government paid up.
The residents lamented that they had been using rainfall water for survival but the rains have subsided and people were relying on raw water drawn from river Tana by boda boda operators at a cost of Sh20 per 20 litre jerrican or ground water from drilling points of the late Yussuf Haji Foundation tanks and three water drilling point at Majengo at Sh20 and Fanjua water drilling point at Sh30 per jerricans. The residents feared the untreated water could also expose them to cholera and other water borne diseases.
Abdi appealed to Garissa County Governor Nadhif Jama and Garissa Senator Abdul Mohamed Haji to come to their aid as institutions of learning like schools are unable to cope up with the expenses of water bowser that cost them Sh2000 to Sh7000 according to their capacity.
Abdi said the County Department of Water should try to drill boreholes along the river in order to offset such problems of pending bills or breakdown of water supply.
By Mohamed Dahir
