Role of water in Nairobi city
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Introduction
Water is a vital resource for all life on earth. Human beings, plants and all living things depend on water for survival. In Nairobi water plays a lot of important roles. Some of the significant roles include domestic use, industrial use, construction of buildings and roads and recreational purposes. This essay expounds on the different roles of water at large in Nairobi city.
In Nairobi, water is used by a significant population for domestic purposes. The city has a high population of people, and these residents need water to carry out indoor and outdoor household chores (Blomkvist and Nilsson 2017). This comprises all activities which involve the use of water at home. This includes: drinking, preparing of food, washing of clothes, washing of utensils, bathing, cleaning of the house and flushing of the toilet.
Water is a valuable resource in the running of industries in the city. For the day to day, water serves an essential role in the industries as it aids in processing, cleaning, diluting chemicals, and cooling machines. Primary water using industries include the coca-cola plant and those that process bottled drinking water. Many food, paper and chemical processing industries in Nairobi use water as the primary producers.
Water is used for enjoyment purposes, for example, swimming and boat racing. Some residential homes have pools where individuals can relax. One of the significant recreation sites in Nairobi is the Uhuru park. Recreation fields also rely on water to keep both the grass and soil healthy and moist.
Water is essential in agrarian activities; for instance, in the process of irrigation, water is applied artificially to farm orchard, pasture and horticultural crops. Sack gardening is mainly practised in the city, whereby plants are grown in sacks and water used to irrigate them. Water is also used in chemical applications and leaching of salts. Some individuals have ventured into livestock rearing, whereby they use water for feeding. It is used in fish farms, production of red meat. Water is also used in the cooling of the farm machine and mixing of farm chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides.
Water is essential in Commercial use. This is freshwater used in motels, hotels, restaurants, office building, civilian and military institutions. Nairobi city has a lot of organizational institutions and tones of social amenities; for example, hospitals and schools, this facility need water to function. Without water, restaurants like Hilton and Serena could not supply meals or even clean up after meals. Cars would go unwashed, and in case of a fire outbreak, there is no means of dousing the blaze. Offices buildings will grind to a halt if the water is not available for drinking and flushing office washrooms.
Nairobi city is growing at a very high rate, and therefore, new buildings are being constructed and others being renovated; hence water is essential in the construction of these buildings (ochungo et al.,2019). Water is used to mixing of cement and gravel. It is also used to mix solutions used in the construction process, such as the dilution of paints. Water also plays a vital role in the construction of roads in the mixing of mortar.
Conclusion
To sum up all, water has played an essential role in the development of Nairobi city. The availability and quality of waters always have a crucial role in determining where people live and their quality of life. Therefore, for the proper functioning of Nairobi city, freshwater supply should be maintained, and awareness should be created among the residents on the importance of conserving water.
References
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Blomkvist, P. and Nilsson, D., 2017. On the Need for System Alignment in Large Water Infrastructure: Understanding Infrastructure Dynamics in Nairobi, Kenya. Water Alternatives, 10(2).
Ochungo, E.A., Ouma, G.O., Obiero, J.P.O. and Odero, N.A., 2019. The implication of unreliable urban water supply service: The case of vendor water cost in Langata Sub County, Nairobi City, Kenya. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 11(07), p.896