BEFORE YOU BLAME THE COUNTY GOVT ON THIS, PAUSE & EVALUATE YOUR ACTIONS TOO.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to conclude that Thika Sub-County is really struggling to maintain its drainage system. Drainage channels are silted and blocked by the carelessly dumped garbage. In some areas, roads get flooded whenever it rains because of blocked drainage channels, some almost getting cut off for days as a result of a flooded drainage channel.

Well, the residents fault the county government for failing to desilt the drainage system on a regular basis, some which go for several years without being de-silted. It might be true but I personally see it from a different angle too. 

Have you ever asked yourself why all these drainage channels get blocked so regularly? At times this is caused by silting due to water run offs but in most cases it is due to our reckless waste disposal tendencies.

Whenever you take a stroll around Thika Town and its residential estates, you will definitely be met by maize cobs, empty water bottles, empty boxes, banana peels and all sorts of rubbish that has been dumped by residents. Some areas are just too filthy to look at, not to mention the stench that come with it, due to the amount of garbage people dump. Most drains and canals, even some that were recently cleared by the county government employees, are already clogged mostly due to improper disposal of garbage by we the residents of these estates. 

Wait a minute! I can see you tactically trying to blame it on someone.... Yes, the county government for laxity, or that other person for carelessly dropping that piece of trash.... Yes! I can see you do that! But my simple question is, are you too a victim of the same? Do you always properly dispose all your unwanted stuff?

To say the least, I am really disappointed with most Thika residents for carelessly dumping garbage in the town. It is disheartening to see people dumping garbage in drainages even when the county government is spending huge sums of money to construct and clear drainage systems.

I agree that the county government is not blameless. They may now be working so hard to control the piles of garbage that have accumulated across the town, posing a serious risk to the drainage system. But it is a fact that they are always seen hustling to clean these drains only when the rains start. This should not be so, drains should be regularly cleaned. 

The county government should by now have come up with a drainage master plan that has a well-designed drainage system in the entire sub-county. The Department of Physical Planning should have arrested the malpractice of poor house planning an drainage in estates.

With the threat of El Niño so rife, and if this trend continues, Thika Town might experience more of the same kind of floods that we witnessed last week in Kiganjo Estate, not forgetting the possibility of a number of water borne diseases due to our own irresponsible behaviour. 

There is need for everyone to take personal responsibility and the relevant authorities to continue sensitizing the public on the adverse effects of dumping garbage in undesignated areas.

The current waste management and disposal practices are ignoring a very pertinent aspect of ensuring proper waste collection, separation and safe disposal. Instead, drainage channels have been used to dispose waste. This is evident in the amount of plastic bottles and polythene bags that are removed from drainage systems during de-silting. Garbage consisting of polythene bags, water bottles, boxes and plastic bags litter the environment, making the work of waste management organisations difficult. 

This could have been avoided by ensuring that garbage is properly collected, stored, separated and disposed in a manner that does not pollute the environment. All areas that are accessed by the public should be protected by ensuring that public places have garbage bins. 

Ideally, proper disposal of garbage would solve many of the problems we face as it relates to clogged drains and flooding. I urge people to dispose of their garbage properly. I further urge the county government to look into ways to discipline those who fail to do so.

The county government should therefore come up with best ways of disposing and managing solid waste especially in places accessible by the public. They should effectively collect the garbage generated or if they are overwhelmed, provide a means of collection of all rubbish and solid waste from within these public places.  They can as well outsource it just like it has done with the water and sewerage department.

The issue of garbage disposal is very serious and needs to be addressed with urgency. The impacts of clogged drains often come to light when the rainy season come, since it hinders the drainage systems and further causes flooding to take place. Citizens must therefore desist from carelessly dumping garbage.