Kenya has started implementing a $2- billion holistic water supply master plan for its capital city of Nairobi and neighbouring towns as a rising population and urbanisation exert pressure on existing facilities and supply.

The East African nation has announced that it will embark on the first phase of the master plan, which involves construction of a water pipeline to supply Nairobi and its environs from a dam in central Kenya that will tap floodwaters from various rivers.

The Northern Collector Tunnel (NCT) project is aimed at supplying the capital and 13 satellite towns with an additional 140 000 m3 of water a day. Water consumption in Nairobi currently stands at 690 000 m3/d.

Construction of the pipeline, which is being financed by the World Bank, the African Development Bank and Germany’s KfW to the tune of $80-million, is due to start this month, with completion expected in three years.

“Nairobi is experiencing occasional water shortages, and this is because of a deficit in the water supply. Construction of the NCT is expected to change this state of affairs,” says Athi Water Services Board CEO Malaquen Milgo.

He adds that the pipeline is critical in addressing Nairobi’s water supply deficit, which currently stands at 170 000 m3/d and is projected to rise to 280 000 m3/d and 970 000 m3/d by 2017 and 2035 respectively if the proposed blue print is not implemented.

According to the Master Plan for Developing New Water Sources for Nairobi City and 13 Satellite Towns, the population of the areas covered by the plan has increased to over six- million over the past two years and is projected to more than double to 13.4-million by 2035.

Despite the population growth, coupled with unprecedented urbanisation, investment in water supply infrastructure has been minimal, and water demand in the Nairobi metropolitan area now far outstrips supply, with 35% of the city’s population lacking safe and adequate water. By 2035, Nairobi will require 1.2-billion litres of water daily.

“Nairobi contributes over 50% of Kenya’s economy and that is why government has assigned a high political priority to fulfilling the water demand in Nairobi in order to establish a world-class metropolis and spur socioeconomic development,” says Milgo.

The pipeline forms Phase 1 of the master plan, which will be implement in five phases over the next 20 years.