By The Weekly Vision
The multi-billion-shilling Northern Collector Tunnel project designed to supply water to Nairobi and its environs is finally complete. The Ksh 9.5 billion project will begin pumping 140 million litres of water daily into Nairobi and surrounding counties in two weeks once the testing and flushing of the 55-kilometre Bulk Water Transmission Pipeline are done.
The tunnel will channel water drawn from rivers Gikigie, Irati, and Mathioya into the Ndaka-ini dam, then processed at the Kigoro treatment plant before distribution to Nairobi, Kiambu, and Murang’a counties.
Nairobi will enjoy the lion’s share of the total water distributed, taking home 120,000 cubic meters per day, while Kiambu, Machakos, and Murang’a will enjoy 7,000 cubic meters each every day, highlighting the broader impact of the initiative on surrounding communities.
The Northern Collector Tunnel (NCT) System was co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the World Bank, and the Kenyan government. It comprises several essential elements, including the Northern Collector Tunnel, the Kigoro Water Treatment Plant, Raw and Treated Water Pipelines, and the Eastern and Western Water Transmission Pipelines.
The Northern Collector Tunnel is part of a master plan development strategy for new water sources for Nairobi and 13 satellite towns up to the year 2035.
The project comprises Kenya’s longest tunnel, designed to harvest flood water flows from three rivers in Murang’a County into the existing water supply infrastructure at Ndakaini dam, the main water source for Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
