The County Government of Turkana and Water Resource Authority have committed to complete the River Turkwell Banks Protection Project in the next three weeks, to safeguard residents from loss of life and property arising from floods occasioned by the River Turkwell breaking its banks.
Patrick Losike, the County Executive for Infrastructure, Transport, and Public Works, revealed this during a visit to the project site to assess its progress.
He said the works included the erection of an earth embankment on the river banks and the planting of vegetation to strengthen the adjacent areas from being washed away by the increased volume of water in the river during overflow.
The CECM added that preparedness against floods was a joint initiative of different government agencies and that public works was doing its part by ensuring the river banks were protected.
According to the CECM Losike, Lodwar town suffered heavy losses during the 2018/2019 floods, and the move was meant to forestall such occurrences moving forward.
The Chief Officer for Public Works, Marian Nakaale, echoed the commitment of the Department to ensuring the safety of the population through sound infrastructure that could withstand floods without causing havoc.
She expressed optimism in the capacity of the Water Resource Authority to complete the work according to schedule owing to their experiences and expertise in handling such cases in the past.
On his part, Lodwar Sub-basin Coordinator Samson Rotich explained that the works will be executed without affecting the natural flow of the river, despite the excavations by earth-moving equipment.
According to Rotich, the end product will be a reshaped river bank with the capacity to handle overflows.
The intervention comes at a time when the Meteorology Department has announced the possibility of heavy downpours across the country in the next two months.
The visit to the site was also attended by Lopeto Ignatius (Ag.Director Public Works), Amos Lokalale (County Civil Engineer), Imadis Ekuleu( Principal Admim. roads), and Erick Nyanumba (in charge of Community Development).
