People living around Turwekl Dam have been urged to relocate to safer grounds with the water reservoir expected to spill in the coming days.
Kenya Red Cross on Sunday warned that the dam was expected to spill with heavy rains pounding the region.
A multi-agency team monitoring the dam has also issued similar warnings.
In a report sent to newsrooms, Red Cross said it will work with the team to ensure residents from affected areas are relocated.
It is estimated that the dam will spill over this week or next if rains persist. It will be the first time the dam spills since it was constructed 35 years ago.
“Kenya Red Cross has been monitoring rising levels of water in the dam and indications are that the dam is likely to overflow around the end of October or the first week of November," Red Cross said.
The dam has a capacity of 1,644,948,000 cubic metres and is currently at 1,518,719,500 cubic metres.
“We will continue to work directly with the community, local government and other stakeholders to provide specific warnings to people who may be affected by the flooding,” the statement said.
More than 300,000 people in Kalemnyang, Loyapat, Nakwomoru, Lodwar and settlements along the shores of Lake Turkana will be affected.
Roads and irrigation schemes in the region might also be flooded.
Turkana and West Pokot leaders said their counties were not prepared to deal with the flooding, displacement and property damage expected.
“The biggest issue is preparedness in case of spillage since the dam was constructed long ago and we don’t know the contingency plan,” Turkana Governor Jospghat Nanok said.
Some of the locals have asked the government to urgently take precautionary measures.
They said they have been faced with many challenges in the past and asked both county and national governments to ensure nobody is affected by the impending spillage.
“For the past two years, we have been living in peace with our neighbours. We had begun to rebuild our lives. The government should help us since this is beyond us,” Samuel Komor said.
Komor said most youths had moved near the dam so they can engage in alternative sources of income after they abandoned cattle rustling.
Edited by P.O
