Irrigation farming banned in Embu and Kirinyaga as water levels decrease

Irrigation farming. [iStockphoto]

The government has prohibited irrigation farming and all activities along rivers in Embu and Kirinyaga counties through their respective water regulatory agencies.

Residents of Mbeere South in Embu county complained after three permanent rivers, Thiba, Nyamindi, and Rupingazi, went dry for the first time in history.

A consultative meeting convened by Embu county commissioner Stephen Kihara resolved and mandated the Water Regulation Authority (WRA) to launch a crackdown on any activity that involves pumping water from rivers for any purpose.

Khara mentioned that the meeting had decided that only jerricans could be used to draw water.

"The law is clear that if there is no flow of water in a river, you cannot directly draw water for irrigation," Khara said, adding that the government was eager to save the lives of residents in five subcounties in both Embu and Kirinyaga.

Tana Abdi Omar, the regional manager, said the team had no choice because the flow of water from Thiba river was 0.8 cubic metres per second, well below the expected flow of 1.2 cubic metres per second.

"We have engaged all stakeholders, including Mwea rice farmers, and agreed that the situation has worsened to the point where we have no choice but to allow domestic use," Omar said.

The Tana region encompasses 11 counties, including Embu, Kirinyaga, Meru, Tharaka Nithi Kitui, Lamu, Garissa, Tana River, and parts of Kiambu and Nairobi, according to Omar.

Florence Musyoka, the CEC Water, cited the Water Act of 2016, which states that domestic water to communities must take precedence.