Being healthy is an important aspect of our daily lives and a large part of it is influenced by what we eat and drink.

This has been made a reality since more than 140,000 residents within Nyeri Municipality can now enjoy enough supply of treated water through the Nyeri Water and Sewerage Company (NYEWASCO).

Previously, the company could only cater for a population of 50,000 consumers but through its new Water Treatment works at Kamakwa, it has been able to serve 9,000 more consumers with treated water and with enough capacity to cater for the future projected population of 200,000 by the year 2015.

Moreover, Kiganjo Township had been an independent water supply through pumping, but it is now served with treated water, by gravity, from the new Kamakwa Water Treatment works.

Speaking to visitors from Mavoko and Garisa Water and Sewerage Company (GAWASCO and MAVWASCO) at Kamakwa treatment works, the plant manager Mr. Charles Kiiru said that the new works could deliver a capacity of 21,000 meters cubic per day.

The gigantic plant consists of a chemical dosing building, flocculation basins, horizontal flow sedimentation tanks, rapid gravity sand filters, filter gallery and pipe work, a pumping station, reinforced concrete clear water tank, chlorine dosing and PH correction room, administration building, generator room, backwash collection pond and sludge drying beds and an elevated steel tank on a tower.

“The Nyeri Water Supply Project was funded a Ksh.850 million by the German government through its bank for international development- Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau (KWF). This was after a feasibility study was carried out between 1994 and 1998 by HP Gauff Engineers”, added Kiiru.

Nyeri Water and Sewerage Company was incorporated on September 1997 and commenced its operations on July 1998, registered under Nyeri Municipal Council. On October 2005, the company signed a Service Provision Agreement with Tana Water Services Board and became its Agent. Its five-year-period tariff was approved on October 2008 by Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB).

 

The company entails of a sewerage works at Kangemi and at Kiganjo, a water treatment works at Kamakwa, an intake at Ihwa along Chania River, water distribution network, infill sewers and storage reservoirs at Tetu, Mathari, Hill Farm, Golf Course and Ngangarithi.

Jointly with the Tana Water Service Board, NYEWASCO has continued to express frantic efforts in offering treated water and sewerage services to residents within the Nyeri Municipality.