The river is called the Suam River from its source to the border with the West Pokot County of Kenya. by MARYANN CHAI Correspondent, West Pokot. I don’t want to imagine the damage if the dam bursts,” Nanok said.He said infrastructure in Turkana county would be damaged by flooding and 50 per cent of irrigation schemes depend on River Turkwel.The county boss urged the Devolution ministry to urgently send a technical team to prepare contingency plans before it’s too late.“We don’t want to be like Tana River where they were late in preparing for dam spillage and residents were forced to flee Garissa town with just three days’ notice,” he said.Nanok said only six metres remain before the dam spills over.“I raised this issue in May when water was 10 metres below the top. The body of a boy who drowned in Turkwel River while playing has been retrieved after a three-day searchPolice, Red Cross officials and local divers in Turkana Central Sub-county found 12-year-old Bramwel Lorieon’s body on Saturday.Sub-county Police Commander David Mburukuwa said a group of children was playing on the river bank when the incident occurred.Mr Mburukuwa said the search mission began immediately after the boy's father John Lotian reported the incident at Lodwar Police Station. The Water Resources Authority (WRA) has warned that parts of Lodwar town near Turkwel River are at high risk of flooding due to heavy rains and the resultant overflow of water from Turkwel dam. Some have converted sandy fields next to Turkwel River and River Kawalase into playgrounds.The Water Resources Authority (WRA) has warned that parts of Lodwar town near Turkwel River are at high risk of flooding due to heavy rains and the resultant overflow of water from Turkwel dam.Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Shurie also said lives will be lost in case residents living downstream don't move to higher ground. "Mr Shurie noted that although the dam has never filled up since its construction, the rains in the Mt Elgon catchment area have caused the water to rise to the highest level ever reached - 1,139.24 meters above sea level as at November 12, 2012.
“We expect damage and we should not wait.”Abandoned 25 years ago, used to be a tourist attraction.Since fish farming was introduced at Turkwel Dam, cattle rustling has ceased in Riting.Lonyangapuo says Kengen, KVDA had plans to set up roads and plant trees along dam.More than 300,000 residents will be displaced if the dam spills over or bursts in ongoing rains. The Turkwel River flows from Mount Elgon in the border of Kenya and Uganda to Lake Turkana. This is the first time the dam is expected to spill over and we don’t know the villages that will be flooded,” the governor said.“Lodwar town is at risk since the Turkwel River cuts across the town. The water is now only about two metres below the top of the dam.Speaking after visiting the dam, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and West Pokot Governor John Longyangapuo said their counties were unprepared for a flooding disaster.“The biggest issue is preparedness in case of spillage since the dam was constructed long ago and we don’t know the contingency plan,” Nanok said.He said they don’t know the areas that would be flooded and urged the national government to come up with a plan to handle flooding and displacement.“We should not wait until the water is a metre below the top of the dam. The Turkwel River [1] (sometimes spelled Turkwell River [2]) is a river flowing from Mount Elgon in the … Police have not determined what to charge Obure with. DPP accuses the deputy chief justice of seeking to delay the process unnecessarily. There are many villages near the dam and we don’t want anybody to be affected,” he said.West Pokot county commissioner Apollo Okello said officials agreed with KVDA to monitor water levels daily so they can alert people to the worsening danger.“We are on high alert. Health ministry records 114 new cases after testing 1,682 samples, Dr Aman says.
The name Turkwel is derived from the Turkana name for the river, Tir-Kol, which means that its a river that “withstands the wilderness”. "The level as at August 3 was 1,143.85 metres. Spillage occurs at a water level of 1,150 meters above sea level,” he said.The dam constructed between 1986 and 1991 for reasons including hydroelectric power production, irrigation, tourism and fisheries covers about 6,500 hectares.Shurie further said that millions of shillings will be lost due to the damage at Turkwel and Katilu irrigation schemes that have provided pastoralists with an alternative source of income. Turkwel River Last updated February 10, 2020 Dry riverbed of the Turkwel river, just outside Lodwar town in Turkana County, Kenya Seen entering Lake Turkana. "I don't want to imagine the damage if dam bursts," Nanok said.More than 300,000 people will be displaced and Lodwar town endangered as Turkwel dam is likely to spill over due to heavy rains.Turkana and West Pokot leaders said their counties are not prepared to deal with the crisis of flooding, displacement and property damage.They urged residents living downstream to move to higher ground.The 35-year-old dam has never overflowed before. The river is called the Suam River from its source to the border with the West Pokot County of Kenya.