How crumbling sewage system in Garissa poses health and environmental crisis

Crumbling infrastructure and the collapsing Garissa sewage plant have plagued the community of Boulargi in Garissa County for the past six months without intervention.

Residents are appealing for urgent action as untreated raw sewage from a broken sewer line and the collapsed treatment plant has flooded areas around the local school and residential zones, posing significant health risks.

A visit by the Eastleigh Voice revealed that the sewage system, which serves a large population in Garissa town, is on the verge of total collapse.

Ahmed Hussein Affey, a retired local chief, expressed the community's frustration over the collapsed infrastructure and the neglect by the Garissa Water and Sewerage Company. The project, originally implemented by the Northern Water Services Board (now the Northern Water Works Development Agency) and funded by a Sh700 million grant from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, was handed over to the county without sufficient management capacity.

"We are contemplating relocating the entire settlement. We face great risk from the collapsed sewage system. Several leaders have visited the site, but no help has arrived to date," he said.

Ahmed Hussein Affey, Rtd Chief, points at the collapsed sewage treatment plant and sewer lines discharging untreated sewage to the nearby school and residential houses. (Issa Hussein)

Ahmed also revealed that three people had tragically drowned at the sewage plant recently, and numerous livestock and wildlife had also died at the facility, which remains unprotected after its fence collapsed during the El Niño floods.

"The stench from the broken sewer line and the 5,500m³ treatment plant, whose walls have also collapsed, is unbearable. The entire environment is polluted. We are on the verge of closing Boulargi Primary School due to the harmful pathogens and parasites present here. Just look at the dead fish floating in the sewage—how can we survive in such conditions?" he posed.

He called on the national government to take over the management of the facility, stating that the county government lacked the capacity to handle it effectively.

Hanai Aden, a youth leader, echoed Ahmed’s concerns, describing the situation as dire.

"Night-time is the worst, with the pungent smell making life unbearable. The catastrophic failure of the sewage system, coupled with neglect from the authorities, is a real disaster," he said.

He also mentioned that crocodiles brought in by the April-May River Tana floods now pose additional threats to both humans and livestock around the facility.

Zamzam Ahmed, the treasurer of Boulargi Primary School. (Issa Hussein)

Zamzam Ahmed, the treasurer of Boulargi Primary School, claimed that the schoolchildren have developed unusual eye conditions and skin diseases, suspected to be caused by exposure to untreated raw sewage.

She urged the national government to step in and rehabilitate the damaged sewage system.

"The community was deceived into believing that the project would create job opportunities. However, none of the staff employed by the Northern Water Board are working today after the county government terminated their contracts," she said.

Zamzam added that the local leaders, including area MP Dekow M. Barrow and former Water Principal Secretary Dr Kipronoh Ronoh, were aware of the crisis following their visit to the site, where they promised swift action through the Northern Water Works Development Agency.

Other local officials, including Garissa Governor Nathif Jama, Deputy Governor Abdi Dagane, and Members of the County Assembly, also visited the site but have yet to act on their concerns.

At one point, the community considered blocking the main sewage line, which could have caused a crisis for the entire population of Garissa town.

A spot check revealed the total collapse of infrastructure, including abandoned and destroyed staff houses.

According to Mohamud Garat, Senior Manager of the Boulargi Giraffe Sanctuary, the unprotected sewage facility poses risks to both humans and wildlife.

"We have lost 15 animals, including giraffes, gerenuks, and waterbucks, which died either after consuming the contaminated sewage or drowning," he said.

He called for urgent intervention to save the lives of both humans and livestock.

Attempts to reach Garissa Water and Sewerage Company Manager Mohamud Dolal for comment were unsuccessful.