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The government has started constructing a 2.4 km dykes in Nyangweso village in Kochia ward to control flooding.
The dykes will be built on both parts of River Awach Tende which breaks its banks and spills over during rainy periods.
It will be a reprieve for hundreds of families in Rangwe constituency of Homa Bay who flee homes every year during the long rains seasons.
Water and Irrigation CAS Andrew Tuimur said the Kodhoch-Nyagweso Flood Control Project will cost Sh120 million and take six months to complete.
“The government wants to end floods which have affected the residents for long. We’re going to ensure residents start benefiting from this project in December,” Tuimur said.
The project is undertaken through the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority.
Rangwe MP Lillian Gogo said the project will help residents enhance crop production.
“Our people have had their crops destroyed whenever there is rain. But we hope this would be a thing of the past once the project is complete,” Gogo said.
National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority chairman Erick Okeyo said his department will ensure excess water from the river is utilised without wastage.
“We also want residents to use water from this river in a manner that will transform their lives. We want to end this problem by next year, Okeyo said.
Gogo said that most top and fertile soil around the area has been washed away by floods and made land infertile.
“This project will prevent Rangwe residents from relying on relief food when the floods are eradicated,” she said.
Residents led by Jane Anyango said the project will transform their lives.
“The floods have destabilised many families by displacing them every rainy season,” she said.