Residents in parts of Nairobi will have to rely on stored water after Nairobi Water shut down a major supply pipeline following an act of vandalism at Kianda School along Waiyaki Way.
The company said the damage affected a pipeline carrying water from the Kabete Water Treatment Plant, forcing it to stop supply through the Kabete Distribution Mains to allow emergency repairs.
The shutdown began at 7pm on Wednesday, November 11, and is expected to run until 6pm on Thursday, November 12.
Several residential areas in Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Langata are among those affected. The interruption will also be felt in parts of Karen, Nairobi West, South C and Upper and Lower Hill.
In Westlands, the affected neighbourhoods include Riverside, Lavington, Waruku, Parklands, Kangemi, Mountain View and Thiongo Road. Residents in Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Madaraka and areas around Uhuru Park have also been listed.
The shutdown will extend to parts of Langata, including Amboseli, Hatheru, Chalbi, Woodley, Jamhuri, Kibera, Makina and areas along Ngong Road. Other affected locations include Kenya High, Joseph Kangethe Road and Karanja Road.
Customers around Mbagathi Ridge in Karen will also experience the interruption.
The disruption is not confined to residential premises only. Among the health facilities set to be impacted include Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Forces Memorial Hospital and Mbagathi Hospital.
Some other facilities which will also suffer from the disruption are KEMRI flats and Department of Defence headquarters. The facilities impacted at Langata include Langata Women’s Prison, the Dog Unit and National Housing Corporation.
Nairobi Water Company has called upon residents and organizations in the affected premises to conserve any water they may be having as the repairs are being carried out.
This disruption is barely one week since another disruption was experienced in some parts of the city following the closing of the Karimenu pipeline from 5 November 2011 to 6 November 2011. Areas impacted by that disruption include Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Kayole and Ruai.
It is expected that the affected communities will await the restoring of Kabete water supply.