Residents living in fear of waterborne diseases outbreak following flooding. [Photo|andrewfire.co.ke]
As the rains continue, more than 100 families living along Tana River are living in fear of a waterborne diseases outbreak.
Hundreds of families have already been affected by floods in North Eastern forcing them to abandon their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.
Idriss Hassan, a village elder who lives in Mororo said the area is a high-risk area of waterborne disease outbreaks following flooding.
He said pit latrines have been swept away into the river where residents fetch water for domestic use.
The elder asked the government to start preparing early for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases urging the government, Red Cross and donor agencies to move with speed in providing food and non-food items saying the worst affected by the floods are children, elderly and women.
“There are no signs of the rain stopping soon. Our biggest fear is an outbreak of cholera and dysentery. Farmers along the river have also incurred huge loses. Their crops have been submerged,” said Mr Hassan.
Transport has been the hardest hit by the floods which left some passengers stranded and buses plying Garissa-Wajir-Mandera and Garissa-Masalani-Holugho roads reducing the number of trips on these roads that are not tarmacked.