Very close to the world renowned Nairobi National Park, on the out skirts of Nairobi City, is the Nairobi Dam. In the 60?s, it provided a recreational setting, a hot spot, for Nairobi residents and tourists.

Benson Kyalaani who is the manager of the once famous Nairobi Sailing Club tells me the story of the forgotten Nairobi Dam.

It was beautiful. People came in numbers to enjoy sailing on clear blue waters on a clear blue sky or just to enjoy the scenic view of the Dam. Others cheered on sports men competing in various water sports such as boat races and others enjoyed deep sea diving in the Dam. Families enjoyed having picnics and boat rides.

It was the perfect way to enjoy Nairobi?s year round warm climate.

But it was not only a haven for people. It was a habitat to a variety of aquatic life including fish and on its banks, indigenous vegetation.   

 

Nairobi Dam in the 60's (www.mccrow.org.uk)

This was in the 60?s until the 90?s when all went wrong.

In 1997, the water hyacinth weed invaded. It quickly propagated completely choking the dam. These weeds are a nuisance to sailors and fishermen. Their motors get tangled up in the weed and they make it harder to see and catch fish.

However, this was just a piece of the puzzle. The dam was under a lot of pressure, pollution from upstream and the encroachment of the dam by slums and flats made it even less appealing.

According to a pollution assessment I carried out as part of my Environmental Management Coursework, I found the Dam being the most polluted part of the river. The dam impounds all the water coming from upstream in the Ngong/Motoine River. The water is allowed to settle in the reservoir thus allowing all the pollution it carries to concentrate and some settles too. Water flowing out of its weir is black and foamy.

 

 

Photos by Rachel Wanjohi

This pollution includes raw sewer, fertilisers and pesticides, chemicals from industries, plastic bags and containers to say the least. The air around is foul and intoxicating, and you can see a dumping ground inside the dam and streams of raw sewage flowing in. It is absolutely appalling!

Raw sewer running into the Nairobi Dam 2012 /Rachel wanjohi

The problem never went unnoticed. As early as 1997, organizations including UNEP met with the agenda of cleaning, rehabilitating and restoring the dam to its former glory.

The proposal of restoring the Nairobi Dam was also an objective of the Nairobi River Basin Programme (NRBP). NRBP was an initiative that brought multiple stakeholders together including UNEP, the Kenyan Government, NGOs and private companies.

Now, 15 years later, there is no notable difference in the state of the dam. However, time inevitably made it worse!

Looking at the dam, it is obvious that nothing is being done. It is evident that cleaning the Nairobi Dam as well as the Nairobi River is not a priority to either the Central or the local government. From my observations or as you can see from my photos, it seems that little effort or resources, if at all, have been focused on rehabilitating the dam.

Not only is the government not committed, in my view, they are the greatest contributors to the pollution. Why? They are allowing raw sewage to flow directly into river, allow the encroachment of both the dam and the rivers, and they are not enforcing by-laws that prevent the pollution.

When we have lost all natural beauty to the concrete jungle that will be Nairobi. Lost to the fast, and uncontrolled, development. Isn't it time we had our Nairobi Dam back?