KIWASCO is not killing Lake Victoria through pollution, says CEC
By Dickson Odhiambo.
February 19, 2020.
KIWASCO is not
killing Lake Victoria through pollution, says CEC
THE Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company is not killing the
Lake Victoria through emitting raw effluent into it that leads to a pungent
smell from the Lake, a senior officer at the County Government of Kisumu has
said.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member in charge of Water,
Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resources Salmon Orimba has defended
the Company which is in charge of provision of water and treatment of Sewerage
within Kisumu County saying it does the treatment of the sewerage it receives
before discharging to Lake Victoria.
He says the Company draw water from the same Lake which it
treats then supply to the residents of the county hence cannot help in the
pollution of the lake through emitting untreated sewerage into it.
Addressing the press at the Kisumu Water and Sanitation
Company sewerage treatment Plant after touring the facility to check on its
processes in treating the effluent so as to clear the air following media
reports that it is emitting untreated sewerage into Lake Victoria, Orimba said
facility had been rehabilitated so as to be able to handle the issue of
treating the sewerage.
Orimba says the Water Resource Authority has a mandate to
check the quality of water that is being discharged into the lakes and rivers,
adding that the authority is at liberty at any moment to take samples at every
time to test the quality of water being discharged into the Lake.
He says they also have a laboratory locally which does tests
to check the quality of water that is discharged into the Lake Victoria.
He says more tests should be taken more often to help in
coming up with more results.
“I don’t want to discredit the test that was done and led to
the story that was aired in one of the TV stations but for one to make the
informed opinion and a clear judgment on one not meeting the required standards
then there is need to do more tests,” Orimba says.
He says there are several tests that have been carried
locally in their laboratory and are in the public domain.
Orimba at the same time says, the County Government of
Kisumu has plans to ensure that all the industries operating within the county
meet the required environmental standards and comply with environmental laws so
that they don’t pollute the Lake Victoria.
“In some cases, we have called upon the Cabinet Secretary in
charge of environment because they have instrument to charge the perpetrators
to court of law over non-compliance to environmental laws,” Orimba adds.
Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company Managing Director Thomas
Odongo says the company has internal tests carried out and the National
Environment Management Authority as well
as Water resource Authority picks samples from Kiwasco and carry out external
tests.
Odongo says this financial year Budget for operations and
maintenance of sewer systems is shillings 23 million, adding that their
sewerage system coverage is 18 percent.
The County Government of Kisumu’s sentiment comes barely a
day after a section of the media carried out an investigative story about how
Kiwasco pollutes Lake Victoria by discharging not properly treated sewerage
through River Kisat into the Lake.
However the Management of the Company through its Managing
Director Thomas Odongo earlier clarified that the pungent smell emanating from
the Lake especially near Kicomi area is as a result of the Natural occurrence
of blue-green algae in fresh water ecosystems which causes the septic smell.
He maintained that their Kisat Sewerage treatment plant has
been operating normally and the effluent emitted from there are discharged in
accordance to the required environmental standards.
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