Residents of Gatwekera village, Kibera were on Monday treated to an unlimited offer of free water after the main water pipe leaked in the area.
Young girls and women in the area took the opportunity to fill all their water barrels as free water is something rare in the slum. News of the broken water pipes swiftly circulated as many women could be seen flocking the area with water containers, with a number of them displaying open excitement.
However, the local area health advisors warned that the water is unsafe for human consumption as the area has open and untreated sewage tunnels.
One of the residents of the area, Kimeu, who operates a private chemist, noted that the excitement created by the water leakage is something to be worried about since a slight contamination could mean mass sickness given the fact that a high number of residents turned up to fetch the water. To worsen the situation, the area has a visible litter around the water pool and this could spell disaster to the joy-laden women and girls.
Recently, the government through the Ministry of Health had issued alerts that the country is facing a cholera outbreak among other diseases.