Environment
Residents of Makongeni area in Homa Bay town have complained about an unbearable stench emanating from a sewerage treatment plant in the locality.
The residents are now afraid that they might contract diseases due to the bad smell in the air emitted by the plant. Felix Odhiambo, a trader who works directly opposite to the sewerage treatment plant said the smell has been a nuisance to them and is affecting their business.
He complained that customers are unable to visit them because of the bad stench in the air. “This smell can transmit diseases to us who work and live around Makongeni area. The bad odor has been around for months on end without anyone lifting their fingers to help us solve the problem,” he added.
Similarly, Sila Owiti stated that the bad stench is portraying the town in a negative light especially to visitors who upon entering the town are welcomed by the terrible stench. He said, “The sewer emits an uncomfortably bad odor that gives a bad impression to those visiting Homa Bay for the first time.”
Owiti implored the responsible authority to relocate the plant somewhere else and away from human settlement so that the town remains clean. The multimillion sewerage treatment plant that is situated in Makongeni area lies meters away from Lake Victoria.
Homa Bay Water and Sanitation Company (HOMAWASCO) Managing Director Tom Nyonje said the company is in the progress of relocating the treatment plant to another location through partnerships with developers. “We hope to partner with developers to transfer the plant to a place that has already been identified by the county government,” he said.
The parcel of land is yet to be acquired by the county government through a willing buyer-seller basis, he noted, saying that before the relocation, they will collect public views on the matter through a public participation forum.