The Waters of death

A widow’s half a century struggle with flooding

The curse of the rains in Nyamasaria, Kisumu

24^th April 2012

By Njenga Hakeenah

For the past 50 years, Tabitha Ogollo Nyalik has always abandoned her home for at least one month every year when the gloomy rains set in.

This year may not be different. She trembles with fear as the cruel River Mahenya, just a few metres from her hut, boldly surges with a murderous thrust.

The 77-year-old widow says the long rains always bring hopelessness, anguish and agony.

Nyalik’s problems emanate from River Mahenya, a tributary of River Nyamasaria in Nyamware Sub-location, Kisumu County.

She knows it is just a matter of time before the floods – once again - force her out of her home. River Mahenya has been a source of sleepless nights for Nyalik for when the river breaks its banks, she is always on the move.

Nyalik expresses her fears as flooding looms Photo: Njenga Hakeenah

When asked if there have been any deaths caused by the river, she exclaims: "So many! Sometimes bodies are swept downstream and relatives have to come to identify the bodies.” This is mental anguish as she knows it could be her anytime the river swells and she does not evacuate in good time.

Every year when floods wreak havoc in the area, locals lose property in form of livestock, crops, housing, and invasion by snakes and in some cases human lives are lost.

However, to some, the floods are a blessing as they get means of livelihood for these waters provides some rare species of fish.

Samuel Odingo says this is a rare thing but now when the river is swollen, he is able to meet his family’s needs by selling some of the catch. He says that he is glad that now he can earn his keep.

“During the dry season, I cannot afford to have fish since I’m not employed but now I have plenty and surplus for sale.”

Odingo shows off his rare catch Photo: Njenga Hakeenah

Odingo lives upstream and only comes to this part of the river during the rainy season when these fish is available.

Ms. Emily Oginga, the Projects Coordinator of the Kisumu Green Project (KGP), says the availability of the fish at this time is due to the high temperatures which make the river water warmer than the lake’s. “The species locally known as sire, mumi, okoko, and ningu among others are not common but are now available due to climate change effects. The fish species come from the lake swimming against the flow as they seek warmer waters.”

KGP’s Emily Oginga explains the effects of siltation Photo: Njenga Hakeenah

Asked why the rivers are flooding causing all the destruction, Oginga says that silting is the major cause due to erosion of riverbanks owing to human encroachment and non-sustainable use of land.

With these activities still on-going, for those downstream like Nyalik, they have to always be on the lookout as flooding will still occur during the rainy season. For those upstream like Odingo, the benefits may be short lived as the soils become poorer and less nutritious for crop production with incessant erosion and leaching of nutrients.

The meteorological department says the rains will continue into the month of June with counties in the Lake Basin (Western and Nyanza) and in Highlands West of the Rift Valley getting more than normal averages of rainfall. This means that Nyalik and her community face the risk of flooding until the rains cease.

So far, more than 12,000 people in Nyanza are in need of medical attention due to the effects of floods that have claimed 19 lives and threatened to cause diseases resulting from poor sanitation.

The Kenya Red Cross Society assistant secretary general for the Western Kenya Region Emmanuel Owako says the floods have displaced more than 8,000 people in the last one month. "The floods have caused a record 19 deaths in the last month and displaced about 8,182 now living in various evacuation camps," he adds.

Regardless of the obvious dangers posed by the flooding, Nyalik says can never relocate from what she calls home as she does not have the means to.

Her dilapidated house, built by her brother-in-law in the 60s, is a testimony of the aftermath of the perennial floods. Whenever the rains come, the water levels rise and the walls have been falling off leaving gaping holes exposing the stone and mud structure.

In addition, flooding has also increased waterborne disease like bilharzia, cholera, dysentery and malaria among others making survival even harder for the likes of Nyalik. 

Clinical Officer Scholastica Mwajuma from Nyalenda health centre says that there are high cases of waterborne diseases during the rainy season. The government is however providing free medication to treat these diseases and the locals also get water treatment agents.

Also, the education sector is affected as children are unable to go to school during the rainy season for fear of drowning and the oblivious cases of cut off infrastructure. At the riverbank, boys in school uniform washing bicycles say they sometimes miss school because the roads are impassable and some schools submerged and some are used as evacuation centres.

To counter the aftermath of the flooding, a number of intervention approaches are being adopted by several governmental and non-governmental organisations. They include constructing gabions along riverbanks, tree planting, construction of water pans and awareness campaigns among others.

Rehabilitation of River Nyamasaria by constructed gabions Photo: Njenga Hakeenah

In as much as conservation efforts are being advocated, still more people continue with their activities along the banks like sand harvesting. It is a boon to some as others deal with the negative effects of these activities.

These activities are hampering efforts to restore the ecosystems and address the issues facing the locals adequately.

As effects of climate change continue to bite, a concerted effort by all stakeholders is the only way that there can be a reversal of the effects.

Food is becoming scarce, temperatures are rising and diseases are becoming more rampant and resistant.

Human activities are contributing to the continued cycle of erratic weather patterns which are no longer predictable and which is putting more lives at risk. With these in mind, it therefore behoves all to take the initiative to protect the vulnerable like Nyalik and Odingo.