Nairobi’s Future Amongst a Lack infrastructure, Sanitation, and Fresh Water
Due to rapid population growth and urban expansion, Nairobi is Kenya’s largest and most populous city. According to the CIA world fact book, approximately twenty-two percent Kenya’s population lives in urban centers, and from 2005-2010 Kenya will experience an urbanization rate of approximately four percent every year. Despite this steady rate of urbanization, and a growing population, Nairobi is plagued with infrastructure, sanitation, and clean water issues. With almost sixty percent of Nairobi’s population living in a slum or informal settlement, that accounts for five percent of the total land area available in Nairobi, it is no wonder the city is plagued with so many problems.
Lack of Infrastructure and transportation issues
As stated, Nairobi has a serious traffic problem stemming from poor road conditions, lack of traffic lights, heavy congestion, and other transportation issues plague the streets of Nairobi. These problems are associated with a lack of funding that should be used to maintain and expand roads as Nairobi’s population continues to grow. Population growth means more private cars and more minibuses on the road; in fact, in 2008 there were almost 1 million cars in the streets of Nairobi.
Because Nairobi is modeled using the concentric ring model, one that is fed by a series of roads flowing into the center of the city, people who hold a formal job are forced to travel and crowd the central zone of the city. During peak travel hours, this creates heavy congestion. This congestion could be reduced dramatically if the roads were better maintained, and the government allotted more money to the expansion and upkeep of vital transportation arteries throughout Nairobi. Unfortunately, a lack of planning, funding, and roadways that are still being used after British colonial rule continue to increase traffic congestion and deteriorate road conditions.
Another problem that is faced by many residents of Nairobi is the lack of separate foot and bike paths through the streets of Nairobi. With almost a million cars on the road, and no expansion due to a lack of financing, many people are forced to commute to and from work by walking along busy highways. This leads to many fatalities caused by hurried drivers trying to beat traffic, creating an unsafe situation for many pedestrians.
What if?
What if more government funding was put towards the upkeep and modernization of roads?
If more funding was put towards better transportation infrastructure, or even expanding the available methods of transport to rail cars or subways, as stated earlier, we would see a huge decrease in congestion, traffic fatalities, and an overall decrease in commuting time to and from the workplace. Also, by repairing the roadways, the city of Nairobi would create jobs, allowing people from the slums to find work, and put money into peoples’ pockets who really need it.
Deplorable Sanitation System and Solid Waste Removal in the Slums of Nairobi
As stated earlier, approximately 60% of Nairobi’s population lives in the slums. These slums are home to some of the most inadequate sanitation systems in the world. The streets of these slums are full of human waste, trash, and “flying toilets.” The slums do have some available sanitation systems; however, there are estimates that state there are anywhere from 400 to 650 people to every available toilet in the slums of Nairobi. With such little sanitation available to the residents of the slums of Nairobi, disease is rampant, and the threat of cholera, dysentery, and typhoid is very real. The group that seems to be the most affected are infants and small children; according to a recent report filed by Water Aid, “one if five children in Africa will die from Diarrhea by their fifth birthday.” Areas like the slums of Nairobi are no exception to this statistic, and are known for having extremely high infant mortality rates, 40% in some areas, because of the prevalence of disease is in these areas.
Poor sanitation and a lack of proper facilities have forced people, in areas like the slums of Kibera to use plastic bags in place of a toilet. With no way to properly dispose of the bag, many people dispose of their effluent by throwing these bags on the street. These toilet bags have been given the name “flying toilets” and are a major health hazard for the people of Nairobi. Lacking an adequate sewer system has forced people to improvise and use what is available to them, and has turned into a major health concern for the people of Nairobi.
Not only are the people of Nairobi lacking basic sanitation and human waste disposal, but they are also lacking any means of solid waste disposal. In the slums of Nairobi, waste is piled up, and is another area of concern for many residents. Much of the waste comes from the manufacturing of textiles, wood, chemicals, and the majority of the solid waste is from food waste. About 25% of the total waste produced every day in Nairobi is collected. What is not collected is either burned, affecting the quality of air, or disposed of in informal dump sites that are crowding the slums of Nairobi.
What if?
In Nairobi, there is one official garbage dump site. What if the city were to expand garbage disposal and pick up throughout the city, even in low income areas? This expansion of services would increase the overall quality of life for every person who is living in an area that is overrun by garbage. Health problems experienced by members of that community would decline, and people would be better off. Also, another option that Nairobi may want to explore in the future is recycling. With no formal recycling policy, reusing resources is unheard of in this region.
Lack of clean drinking water
Poor sanitation and poor waste disposal are two major problems that greatly affect the quality of life, and availability of clean water in slum areas of Nairobi. Of Kenya’s total population, almost 17 million people are not able to access clean drinking water on a daily basis. Water is not pumped into the slums of Nairobi; in fact, slum dwellers use the Nairobi River Basin for their daily water needs. Unfortunately, people do not just drink out of the Nairobi River. People use the river to wash their clothes, clean utensils, bathe, and many other activities that pollute the river, making it unsafe to drink. Other factors affecting the quality of the river is large scale land and soil erosion from logging along the river, pollution from manufacturing without many environmental regulations. This promotes excessive soil runoff, adding unhealthy amounts of pollutants to the water.
What If?
With very little access to clean water, and poor sanitation, it is evident why disease is so rampant in the slums of Nairobi. What if the government made an effort to install more clean water drinking wells in areas of Nairobi that desperately needs it? This would bring about just a many positive changes as providing trash pickup or providing a better sanitation system. Clean water is essential to healthy living, by providing clean water to areas that desperately need it, the overall quality of life would improve, and people would begin to live happier and healthier lives in a region that has so little.
What the Future Holds
The Future of Nairobi is uncertain; however, even with so many problems, the people of Nairobi remain optimistic about their future, and are ever hopeful of a new and better situation. The people of this region are extremely resilient, and know what it takes to survive. The people of Kenya, and the residents of Nairobi, even in the worst areas will persevere and create a future for themselves even in some of the worst conditions possible.
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