The Nairobi dam has been the capital's spare water reservoir in times of drought since the 1950s, but not a drop of it is usable now, as a result of heavy pollution. In Kibera slum, and in other poor neighbourhoods across Nairobi, many people lack public water supplies and rely on private sellers. “We even used water from the dam for cooking and drinking.”But in the late 1990s the dam was abandoned because of worsening pollution, he said. But it is the jobs - and other potential social and economic benefits of cleaning up the Nairobi dam - that have attracted supporters like Mbuvi to the project. Malawi, the Nairobi County environmental officer, said cleaning the Nairobi dam will improve the environment in Kibera and help reduce the threat of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Source: The Star July 25, 2017 10:52 UTC