Bakuli 2 water reservoir located 8KM in Marsabit forest reached the end of its sediment design life having been last cleaned in 1997 when the outlet located at the bottom of the tower, became clogged with sediment. Silt and accumulated sediments along with salts piled up effecting water quality and quantity.
The situation attributed to high cost of electricity used to pump water to composite filtration unit, large volume of chemical used to treat water due to high turbidity hence high cost of maintenance, clogs in the pipelines and blockage of main raise as well as main meters.
Desilting is a process of removing sediment and clog from the reservoir. It includes sediment caused by a naturally occurring material that are washed into a reservoir from surrounding areas by rain, runoff or streams.
Slugs and Sediments at Bakuli 2 Dam Before Desilting.
THE HISTORY OF BAKULI DAM.
The Bakuli 2 water reservoir was built in 1993 by the Ministry of public works. Bakuli 2 dam produces 3 million liters of water which serves the residents of Marsabit town who have been depending initially on Bakuli 1 built in 1950 by the British colonial government. Bakuli 2 was as a result of improvement of Bakuli 1 to a 250 meters height. The upgrading of Bakuli 1 includes upgrading of pipelines from 2 ½’ to 6’, Treatment plant at water supply and new connections to Manyatta Chille, Ajaa Tisa and Marsabit Boys high school. Years of neglect led to accumulation of tones of sludge in the crucial dam that supplies water to Marsabit town. Water from Bakuli 2 Dam was specifically meant domestic consumption.
Bakuli 4 water reservior holding 300,000,000 liters of water.
Bakuli 3 & 4 was as a result of rapidly growing population of Marsabit town. The dam has four reservoir components built from 1980’s. The newly constructed 20m high Bakuli 4 dam, funded by ADB, provides a storage capacity of 300,000, 000 million liters of water. The desilting process also included upgrading of water supply pump from previously 18,000 m3 to currently 60,000 m3 at the raising main, currently the water is supplied with 6 water pumps (4 pump as a result of ADB project and 2 pumps as a result of MARWASCO initiative) the current abstraction however for Bakuli 4 is designed to supply 3,000, 000 million liters of water per day for treatment and domestic use.
Managing Director Hon. Stephen Sora and CECM Water Hon. Grace Galmo inspecting Installation of New water supply pump at the raising main.
MD, “Our water reservoir requires regular maintenance to maintain their lifespan, to maintain water quality and quantity and to prevent costly structural failures. It is good practice to inspect dams, spillways, and catchments when both full and dry to plan for any required maintenance works.”
The heavy sediments and slags at Bakuli 2 Dam reduced the storage capacity of a reservoir, which led to water shortages. Sediment clog water intakes and pipes, which disrupted water supply. The sediment degraded the water quality of a reservoir, making it unsafe for drinking hence high chemical used for cleaning due to high turbidity and high electricity bill.
Desilting of Bakuli 2 Dam by Manual labour in progress.
During a presser at the ongoing desilting of Bakuli 2 Dam, MD noted that, “Despite having adopted the most economical type of desilting method, we have been slammed with heavy cost caused by the size of the reservoir, the high amount of sediment, the type of clog, and the location of the reservoir which hindered the accessibility.”
Authored by
Corporate Communication Officer
Marsabit Water and Sewerage Company.
