By The Great Imboywa
Water is important to any living thing. While it is in excess for some people, to others it’s a gem. As human nature dictates, whatever is easy to obtain will never be treasured; it is also our nature to punish us, and we should never pick a war with nature, it will always win!
Eldowas is a department responsible for water and sanitation in Eldoret and its environs, but recently it has failed to be up to the task, from unattended pipe bursts to frequent sewage leakages and blockages. Their reluctance to attend to this problem may lead one to think it is not their job. Sewage blockages are worse and more evident when it rains. The blockages cause overflow, and it spills all over the place, forcing one to tiptoe to reach their destination. Guess what happens to people cooking roadside food… yes, I get it, but this is where they usually conduct their business every day; life has to go on and bills have to be paid.
This poses serious health hazards to human beings, as they are prone to cholera and diarrhoea due to the overflow in areas where people are selling street food.
The drainage system is terrible too; sometimes people have to cross here and there to avoid stepping in faeces. This is dangerous for children playing outside. With the increase in rain over the past few days, some parts of Uasin Gishu have seen water flooding into their houses. Now, when this sewage floods, it enters your home.
Now, onto the important part: drinking water. Everyone in Eldoret will tell you, not once or twice, that they have opened their taps and encountered a different liquid that you can’t actually call water. This has been happening for quite some time. From sparkling water to dirty, terrifying water, some people have experienced running stomachs because of unclean water. The recent water people are receiving is not clean and has a smell that makes it uncomfortable for use.The government is setting aside enough money for health and sanitation, but the department responsible for this seems to be either blind to the issues or just has misguided priorities. Unless they are ready to face a cholera and diarrhoea disaster, then hail to this ignorance
