Water in the Turkwel Dam in West Pokot County is expected to spill over in the next two months following the increased volume, in case heavy rainfall will continue pounding the area. According to an alert from the Kerio Valley Development Authority that manages the facility, the dam can hold water to the highest level of 1150 metres, and at the moment the capacity is upto 1142 metres.
This comes after residents living in areas near the dam raised concern over a possible bursting of the dam. However, the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) Managing Director Sammy Naporos assured residents in the area there is no cause for an alarm since there are set up mechanisms to ensure excess water is diverted to the river.
He explained that it’s normal for the dam to spill over and residents should not panic. He said that Turkwel dam is one of the most stable dams in the country. “It cannot burst and people should remain calm because we have taken charge,” he said.
Naporos advised people living downstream to move to higher ground as the river overflow is expected to cause massive flooding and affect people living in the area, adding that some of the irrigation schemes may be affected.
He said the authority will continuously liaise with West Pokot and Turkana County governments to sensitize locals in case the dam spills over so that they should not cross swollen rivers.
KVDA engineer in charge of water resources Daniel Kiptan said the dam is stable with a large concrete and there is nothing to worry about adding that they are doing maintenance and monitoring on performance of the structure. “It’s is normal and even Masinga dam is spilling over now. When the reservoir is full it has to spill over especially when the amount used for power generation is less,” he said.