Post: Plans under way for construction of Sh 21 billion water and sanitation project in Thika and Githunguri

The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) will fund the Thika and Githunguri Water and Sanitation Project in Kiambu County estimated at Sh21 billion.The project which was unveiled by the government in the beginning of this year is expected to increase water supply to 1.2 million people in the Thika and Githunguri and across the neighboring semi-arid Ithanga area in Murang'a county.The multi-billion project is scheduled to start in the month of February next year, and will involve the construction and rehabilitation of water storage tanks and laying of about 60- kilometre water transmission and distribution pipelines, including consumer last mile connections.Speaking during a visit to the site by a team from the Danish agency, leaders and stakeholders in Githunguri, Githunguri Water and Sanitation Company Managing Director Dr. Francis Kahuha said the upcoming project marks a crucial step towards improving sanitation and water management in Githunguri Municipality as it the only one ever constr ucted in the region'This is a significant development, as Githunguri has never had a sewer system, leaving many residents without a proper place to discharge sewerage, the project will therefore greatly benefit Githunguri community in a unique way' said Kahuha.He further lauded the project saying it will improve the living standards of the people in the target area by ensuring the provision of affordable access to safe Water and Sanitation Services'We as the only Municipality's water service provider Githunguri Water and Sanitation Company, have been struggling to meet the growing demand for the vital commodity, the water intake to be constructed at the Mukuyu and Ruiru rivers will provide the town with an additional 10,000 cubic meters this will benefit the people of Githunguri a lot,' cited Kahuha.Schools, colleges and health institutions, that many have been without water will also benefit from this project which will be implemented for five years in four phases.Speaking during the visit Mike Hut son, one of the officials from the Danish agency team, said the project will be crucial in transforming the livelihoods of locals within Kiambu County.'The project is ready for implementation. We are closing the financing stage and we expect the contractor to start work in February next year, the work will go on for about thirty months, before it is ready for commissioning,' Hutson said.He stated that out of the 21 billion funding '15 billion will be spent on the Thika project while sh6 billion will be spent on improvement of water supply and sanitation in Githunguri town,'The project has been estimated to add an additional 70,000 cubic meters of water per day to Thika, the town that recently attain city status, this will meet the water demand for Thika urban area up to the year 2047.Source: Kenya News Agency