Water vendor sales water. [Photo/Simba N Joseph]
While water vendors in Kisii town are making brisk business, their users are at high risk of contracting waterborne diseases.
This information came to light after public health officials sampled about 100 springs and wells within the town and established that about 90 percent of them were polluted.
Most of the vendors conducting the business draw the water from the springs and wells and supply to the residents in various parts within the Kisii town.
Kisii County public health officer said most of the sampled springs and wells are near latrines and unless serious precautions are taken, residents are likely to suffer from diarrhea.
Kisii county residents want the county government to rehabilitate the springs it inherited from the former civic authorities before protecting new ones.
The County government has enough funds to rehabilitate the springs to prolong their lifespan to benefit residents.
The residents also want qualified water experts to be engaged in protecting springs to avoid shoddy work, wastage of public funds and cost of rehabilitating them.
The Gusii Community should stop planting gum trees near water springs and sources to avoid drying them up, which fuels water-related conflicts.
The Kisii residents should plant indigenous and environmentally friendly trees at the springs and plant gum trees on top of hills or 30 meters away from water sources to curb desertification.
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