Communities living downstream Seven Forks Dams Hydropower Cascade have been asked to move to higher ground following the spilling over of the dams as a result of continued rainfall in the Mt Kenya and Aberdares catchment areas.

This was after Kiambere Dam, which is the last dam along the cascade started spilling over on Wednesday after surpassing its maximum capacity.

Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira said the overflow in Kiambere is expected to cause flooding and possible displacement of people along River Tana as far as Garissa and Tana River.

“Kiambere is our last goalkeeper with regard to holding water along the cascade and when it starts to spill over, we have to issue an alert to people downstream who may be affected by resultant flooding,” he said.

Speaking on Thursday while on an assessment tour of the dams at Masinga, Wachira said the government is on high alert to respond swiftly to protect lives, livelihoods and infrastructure,” he said.

He also called on the communities to stay informed through the official channels and to follow advisories issued by relevant authorities.

KenGen Managing Director Engineer Peter Njenga reported that this was the second alert they were issuing after the largest of the dams and the first in the cascade, Masinga, recorded overflow on April 30. This, he said, has led to subsequent overflows in the other four dams namely, Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and finally Kiambere.

He said water levels at Kiambere have reached an all-time high of 700.27 metres against its full supply level of 700 metres above sea level. He said as of yesterday, Masinga Dam had reached 1057.15 metres above sea level which is 0.65 metres above its full capacity level of 1056.50 metres.

“KenGen is working closely with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum as well as National and County Government’s Disaster Management teams to ensure timely communication and safety of all affected communities,” he said.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Samuel Waititu