The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) plans to accelerate the upgrade of its supply infrastructure as part of its strategy to improve services in the city.
‘Focus will be on key priorities including reducing water leakages, strengthening financial sustainability, accelerating infrastructure development and deepening digital integration across our operations,’ the newly confirmed managing director, Martin Nang’ole, said.
The firm said that Nairobi’s rising population, now above five million, continues to strain a system that is already operating beyond its intended capacity.
NWSC recently got a boost after the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) approved new, higher tariffs.
The higher tariffs approved by Wasreb in February are expected to help raise NWSC’s revenue collection to Sh19.9billion, and support the expansion of services amid a growing consumer base.
The firm previously generated about Sh11.5billion revenue annually, even though the management projects it requires Sh19.2billion to service the needs of the city’s fast-rising population.
The NCWSC has indicated that additional revenue generated will be ring-fenced for infrastructure rehabilitation, efficiency improvements and expansion of equitable access to water.
Water consumed in Nairobi comes from both dams and boreholes sunk into aquifers, which are underground reservoirs.
The bulk of water supply for Nairobi comes from the Ngethu-Thika dam system, which supplies 84percent, Sasumua dam (11percent), and Ruiru dam (4percent), as well as the Kikuyu Springs(1percent).
Over time, the water supply for the city has failed to meet demand. Latest records show that Nairobi has a daily demand of 935,000 cubic metres of water against a supply capacity of 658,600 cubic metres, leaving a deficit that forces rationing across various consumer zones.
The firm has stepped up installation of meters to seal loopholes that deny it more than half of its revenue from supplies to city residents.
The utility has registered massive revenue shortfalls over the years due to the high amount of unbilled water, crippling its cash flow and operations.