Analysis - Washington Mboya, an environmentalist in Nairobi, describes the effects of and response to the devastating floods in the city's poorest areas.
Washington Mboya, an environmentalist in Nairobi, describes the effects of and response to the devastating floods in the city's poorest areas.at least 228 people since March and displaced nearly 200,000 people. The government, which has been accused of being slow to act, has ordered people living near 178 dams and reservoirs to evacuate as heavy rains are predicted to continue and possibly worsen into May.
As soon as the water began subsiding, I saw people going back to their houses, cleaning and trying to salvage their belongings as they had nowhere else to go. I have always been critical of settlements in the riparian areas and helped educate people about the dangers of residing there. But I also know that many of these families did not have the option of living on high ground and many of them never thought they would experience such a disaster. I see shock and trauma all around.
In 2023, I was involved in a campaign to raise the awareness of communities living along the Nairobi River about flood risks. At the time, there was already high precipitation forecasted for 2024. This is a form of early warning system we have. Other parts of the country have also been hit by floods so the government's resources are probably stretched and overwhelmed. They were running around in the other areas but they avoided the slums. I don't think they understand how big of a catastrophe this is here. For us who have been to the slums, we know the pain. Even as the water is subsiding, some houses lie in the middle of the river with families stuck on their roofs with no way out.
We are now asking the government to create a good environment for us to operate. We hope to have a good rapport with them so we can actively prepare for future disasters. Last year, we experienced high temperatures and now we are seeing another extreme in terms of heavy rains. So we make these connections in our community outreach but in a language they can understand. It's important to use the right language so that people understand the impact of climate change on their lives.
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