Villagers ‘must’ move as Masinga Dam reaches its highest level and overflows

Villagers surrounding the Masinga Dam and those downstream along the Tana River must now move away because the dam is overflowing, having reached its highest levels on Thursday, Kengen said.

In a statement, the Kenya Electricity Generating Company said the water level at Masinga rose to 1,058.22 meters above sea level on Thursday, against a total supply level of 1,056.50 metres.

The highest level ever recorded was 1,058.13 in May 2020.

The dam began to overflow late last month and the spill will now be more intense and ferocious.

Kengen CEO Engineer Peter Njenga said they had warned villagers as early as November last year that the dam would likely reach its full supply capacity and overflow in April 2024, which it did.

At the time, Kengen advised communities living near the dams and along the Tana River to relocate and move to higher ground to avoid loss of life and property.

“Communities residing in the villages of Mbondoni, Kithecu and Menguthe are particularly at risk. Given the current circumstances, we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our citizens.” Njenga said.

Tana River floods typically affect Lower Embu, Kitui, Garissa, Tana River and Kilifi counties.

The Home Office confirmed that many of the villagers have moved and are taking shelter in schools.

“Food, medical kits and non-food items are needed for counties where search and rescue operations are still ongoing, including Nairobi, Kirinyaga, Homa Bay and Tana River,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

He also said that much of the public infrastructure in these regions has been destroyed.

“Taita Taveta, Kitui and the Tana River require massive post-flood recovery initiatives in public works, reconstruction of schools, repairs of water treatment systems, repair of roads and improvements in the accessibility of social and economic facilities,” he said the ministry.

Kengen said Masinga water levels will remain high for most of this month as rains persist, as forecast by the Kenya Meteorological Department.

Masinga Dam straddles the border of Embu and Machakos counties and is part of the Seven Forks Waterfall which includes Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and Kiambere.

Kengen said all of these large hydroelectric dams in Seven Forks have reached their full supply capacity.

“The Seven Forks Dams retain most of the water flowing from the Tana River, well over half the volume, that would otherwise flood areas downstream of the dams, thereby reducing damage caused by ongoing rains” Njenga said.

He said there is no chance of any calamity occurring at the Seven Forks dams because of the enormous amounts of water they hold back.

“We constantly monitor the structure of our dams and wish to assure all Kenyans that the safety measures we have put in place along with our disaster preparedness help alleviate the risks of water breaching the walls of the dams,” he said.

Dams generally help regulate river flows and mitigate downstream flooding by temporarily storing flood volume and allowing water to flow naturally downstream through power plants.

Njenga said Kengen is considering raising the Masinga Dam by 1.5 metres, which will help retain more water and further delay the overflow of the dam during heavy rains.