Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
A full country assessment of Kenya by Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative
Activities (DARA
2012
) shows high vulnerability to drought and moderate vulner-
ability to fl ood. Floods are a very important concern in Kenya as DARA (
2012
)
predicts that by 2030, Kenya will have fi ve million ($USD Purchasing Power Parity
(PPP)) and ten million ($USD PPP) additional economic costs related to drought
and fl ood, respectively. Data available on fl oods show that 5,000 additional people
will die and 50,000 additional people will be affected nationally (DARA
2012
).
Floods are becoming more common in Kenya (RoK
2007
), and their resulting fatali-
ties make up 60 % of victims from disasters in Kenya (UNEP
2009
).
Persistent fl ooding is common in river valleys, lakeshores, and coastal strips.
Flood-related disasters have been recorded in many parts of Kenya, including in the
Tana Delta, Nyando, Ahero, Narok along with other areas distributed unevenly
across fi ve major river basins (see Fig.
19.1
). The Western region, more specifi cally
the Lake Victoria Basin, is the most susceptible area in Kenya to fl oods (RoK
2007
;
Otiende
2009
).
19.4
Flood Warning in Kenya
The Nzoia River drainage basin traverses a vast area linking the major “water tow-
ers” of the Lake Victoria North catchment: Cherangani, Mt. Elgon, and the Nandi
Escarpment. The basin covers an estimated area of 12,709 km
2
, with the longest
reach stretching some 334 km. The altitude varies from 4,300 m in the mountain-
ous Elgon and Kipkapus areas to 1,140 m toward Lake Victoria. The annual rain-
fall is mainly bimodal, though some areas in the basin enjoy trimodal distribution
of rainfall. The Nzoia basin is a host to some of the most densely populated rural
areas in Kenya with approximately 240 people/km
2
(Adhikari and Hong
2013
)
which means that it is prone to overcrowding, making it a good example of a
regional vulnerability.
A variety of early warning systems exist to reduce damage from fl oods in this
area. For example, the Lake Victoria Basin has the Flood Risk information and
Box 19.1
A river basin is an entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries.
A “water tower” is a forested mountainous area that captures rain water to
percolate into subsurface water, serving as source of rivers.
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