Restoring Sondu Miriu dam in Kenya with Watermaster dredger

A Watermaster dredger restored a dam reservoir in Kenya recently, said Watermaster/Aquamec Ltd.

Reservoirs are man-made lakes that store water for drinking, farming, industry and electricity. But when they fill up with silt and invasive vegetation, they stop working properly.

That’s what happened at the Sondu Miriu dam in western Kenya, the company said.

The dam provides electricity and water to the region. Over time, the reservoir became clogged with mud and fast-spreading hippo grass – cutting flow, reducing power output, and raising flood risk.

The cleanup program included:

• removal 150,000 m² of hippo grass,

• dredging hundreds of thousands of m³ of silt,

• restoring water flow and storage capacity.