The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has warned of traffic disruption, air pollution and flooding from the government's proposed design and construction works along the Nairobi Rivers Basin. The Ksh40 billion project, a pet project of President William Ruto, involves river dredging, widening riverbanks, expanding sewage treatment, and landscaping and is expected to be completed by 2027.
According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notice published on Monday, September 9, the project will also include the expansion of Kariobangi sewage treatment by constructing an additional 60,000m³ per day system and the expansion of the Kirichwa West treatment system.
The works are expected to raise the city's sewage handling capacity while also tackling the flooding crisis that rocks most parts of the capital and erosion along the Nairobi, Mathare and Ngong rivers.
Undated photo of social workers cleaning Nairobi River File But as hopeful as the project's gains sound, NEMA warns that it will cause "soil erosion and sedimentation" during dredging and points out that "improper connectivity, river dredging, widening riverbank protection and stabilisation" could lead to downstream siltation and flooding if not carefully managed.
