Residents warned of flooding as River Tana swells

Ali Dubat stands on a small mound of sand outside his manyatta in Bakuyu village, staring at the brown water rising up.

For 20 years, Dubat has stayed here, farmed maize and kept his goats along the banks of river Tana. Today, the same river that fed him is about to flood his farm and swallow his home.

“We have been crossing through to the other side of the river which had dried up. But things changed on Monday morning when water levels started rising unexpectedly,” he said.

According to Mr Dubat, continued rainfall in Central Kenya will cause trouble in the counties of Garissa and Tana River.

"If it rains again upstream, we have to move to the camps as we have always done whenever our village is flooded,” he said.

Across the riverine villages of Bakuyu, Ziwani and Mororo, hundreds of families are facing imminent displacement as Tana River swells following heavy rains in the Mt Kenya catchment area.

According to the Kenya Red Cross Garissa branch, water levels at Garissa bridge rose to 3.6 metres on Monday threatening to displace over 3,000 households living within the riverine corridor.

“The 3.6 metres level is normal, but it will be alarming once we get to a level of four metres as it continues to rain upstream,” Mr Daudi Ahmed, Kenya Red Cross Garissa County Coordinator said.

He said the agency has asked locals residing along the riverine to start vacating their homes early enough before the situation gets worse.

“Since Monday, we have been asking those in flood prone areas to move to safer grounds with their livestock and harvest their crops. We expect more rain as the November season kicks in,” he said.

In Garissa, a stretch of about 400 kilometers starting in Balambala to Ijara is expected to be affected by floods while in Tana River, Tana Delta and Minjila areas have been flagged as floods prone.

Garissa remains dry with areas like Dertu in Dadaab reporting large exodus of locals to areas with water and pasture for the livestock.

“We have areas experiencing drought and we have been supporting communities with foodstuff and livestock feeds. As November rain season sets in, we are optimistic that the situation will improve,” Mr Ahmed said.

In Tana River County, residents continue to struggle with the effects of flooding after the area recorded heavy rains causing damage in villages in Tana Delta.

Homes, toilets, crops and livestock have been affected in parts of Tana River.

Several families have been left homeless after floodwaters submerged residential areas, with some houses surrounded by water and others filled with mud.

The destruction of toilets has also raised concerns over sanitation and a possible outbreak of waterborne diseases due to contamination of water sources.

One resident, Mwanamisi Said, said the floods destroyed toilets, exposing families to health risks.

Residents say the destruction has affected their sources of food and income, leaving many families struggling.

Tana Delta sub-County remains the worst hit after Tulu and Minjila dams overflowed, spilling water into nearby villages.

At least 302 households have since been displaced and more are expected as the river swells.

As Garissa starts plans to respond to the imminent flooding, Tana River County government has warned that it will not be helping victims since they have ignored early warnings.

Governor Dhadho Godhana cautioned residents in flood prone areas to evacuate immediately or risk being stranded.

He said the county government had spent more than enough on getting residents in flood prone areas to relocate to higher grounds but others have resisted.

The National government through the Ministry of Water has since warned downstream residents in the two counties to prepare for floods as controlled spillage from the Seven Forks dams was inevitable once capacity limits are reached.

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