Patel Dam failure

The Patel Milmet Dam was a privately

owned embankment dam located near the
township of Solai, Nakuru County, in
Kenya's Rift Valley. The dam burst amid
heavy rains on 9 May 2018, killing at least
48 people.[1][2][3]
 Patel Dam Failure
Date 9 May 2018

Location Solai, Nakuru County,

Kenya

Cause 2018 East Africa

floods

Deaths 48

Background

[Full screen]

Patel Dam
The Milmet dam was one of five earthen
embankment dams belonging to Mansukul
Patel on the private property of his 1,400-
hectare (3,500-acre) commercial rose farm
and business, Solai Roses.[4] The other
dams were known as Main House, Moi,
DO, and Tinderess. The Milmet dam had a
capacity of 200,000 cubic meters, and the
dams collectively had a capacity of 600
Million cubic meters.[5] The company
produces large numbers of cut flowers for
shipping to Germany and the Netherlands.
The farm was responsible for the
maintenance of the dam.[1] According to
the general manager of the farm, the dams
were between 15 and 20 years old at the
time of the incident.[6] An investigation is
currently being conducted to determine
whether or not the dams were built legally
and according to safety standards.[7]

Excessive rains began falling in March

2018 following a year of severe drought.
This caused massive flooding in Kenya,
Ethiopia, Uganda, and Somalia, affecting
nearly a million people.[1][6] Nearly 170
people in Kenya were killed in the floods
which preceded and led to the breaking of
the dam.[8] The general manager of the
farm stated that the rain had been
particularly intense during the two days
preceding the dam’s failure, and that
resulting flood waters, carrying boulders
and roots, had damaged the wall of the
dam.[1]

According to Koigi Wamwere, a former

legislator from the area, residents
complained about leaks and cracks in the
Patel Dam a few days before its failure.[9]

Dam burst
The dam burst in the evening of 9 May
2018, just as many area families were
beginning their evening meals.[1] Residents
reported hearing a loud bang immediately
followed by the rushing of "a sea of
water".[10] 70 million litres (18 million US
gallons) of water were unleashed, creating
a wall of water about 1.5 metres (4 ft
11 in) high and 500 metres (1,600 ft)
wide.[7] The resulting flood carved a
chasm through a hill, washed away power
poles, destroyed buildings (including a
school), and submerged the villages of
Nyakinyua and Energy.[1][11] Homes over a
radius of nearly 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) were
submerged.[8]

Aftermath
So far, 48 have been confirmed dead, of
whom more than 20 were children
according to the national Creepomane
Reports.[3][8] Kenya’s Interior Secretary
Fred Matiang'i, who arrived the day after
the disaster, stated that the death toll
could be higher as the rescue teams are
likely to recover more bodies from the mud
and debris.[12] Authorities believe more
than 2,000 people were left homeless.[2]
The United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
warned that the flooding which
contributed to the dam failure is expected
to get worse with additional heavy rains
forecast in Nakuru over the coming
weeks.[1]
Dam owner Patel released a statement on
15 May, six days after the disaster,
expressing condolences to the affected
family. He praised the government’s
ongoing investigation and pledged his
company’s continued cooperation. He also
vowed to assist in providing resources for
displaced families, many of whom worked
for him on his farm.[5][13]

On 16 May, one week after the disaster, an

interdenominational mass and memorial
service was held at an Africa Inland
Mission Church in Solai near the site of the
dam. The service was attended by Kenyan
President Uhuru Kenyatta, First Lady
Margaret Kenyatta, Deputy President
William Ruto, Nakuru Governor Lee
Kinyanjui and other prominent local and
national public figures.[14][15] In his
remarks, President Kenyatta promised aid
to displaced families and the processing
of 1300 title deeds for affected residents.
He also pledged government assistance in
rebuilding schools, roads, and other
infrastructure destroyed by the disaster.[15]
Dam owner Patel was not in attendance at
the service, having been asked by local
leaders not to attend due to security
concerns.[16] 41 of the victims were laid to
rest in Solai immediately following the
memorial service.[17]
Rescue and recovery operation …

An organized rescue operation was carried

out in the days immediately following the
dam failure. The rescue team was a joint
effort involving the Kenya Defence Forces,
Kenya Red Cross Society, the National
Youth Service, and various local and
regional police forces.[18]

During the first day of the disaster

response, forty people were rescued and
taken to hospitals operated by the Kenya
Red Cross and other local relief
organizations.[8] On May 14, the official
government response team announced
that the 38 individuals who had been
reported missing of May 10 were
accounted for, either found alive or
identified among the 48 bodies recovered
at that point. Nonetheless, many residents
responded that they still had additional
friends and family unaccounted for.[18]

A temporary shelter was established for

survivors in the Solai Boy's High School.
The displaced there were provided with
three months of living provisions and
access to psychological counseling. On
Saturday, May 19, 10 days after the
disaster, the temporary shelter was closed
so that school could resume the following
Monday. 200 families were still at the
shelter without any housing solutions at
the time of the closure.[19]

On May 13, the European Union's

Humanitarian Aid office (ECHO)
announced that they were sending $1.8
Million to assist in the disaster relief
efforts.[20]

Investigation …

Matiang'i announced the government’s

investigation into the incident. The initial
work of the investigation is focused on
determining the stability of the other six
dams on the Patel property, as residents
claimed that some of the other dams were
already beginning to leak.[8] The day
following the disaster, the government
began controlled draining of two of the
dams that were deemed structurally
unsound. This led to some alarm among
local residents that another dam had
broken.[11]

The Director of Public Prosecutions

ordered a police investigation into the
incident to "establish cause and culpability
if any" behind the dam failure within two
weeks.[21]
On May 11, 2018, Kenya's Water Resources
Management Authority (WARMA)
concluded that none of the dams on the
property were properly licensed and were
therefore illegal.[7] Engineers with WARMA
also noted that the remaining dams were
unsafe due to structural weakness and the
absence of any spillways for discharging
extra waters.[11] Based on these findings,
the regional minister in charge of water
has requested that the other dams on the
property also be drained. The farm’s
general manager has denied that the dams
were built illegally.[6]
On May 12, President Kenyatta directed
WARMA to oversee a countrywide
inspection of dams in coordination with
county governments. The inspection is
intended to ensure compliance with water
safety laws and will focus on older dams
specifically.[22]

References
1. Mukoya, Thomas (10 May 2018).
"Kenyan rose-farm dam bursts, 'sea of
water' kills 47" . Reuters. Retrieved
10 May 2018.
2. "Kenya's Patel dam bursts, sweeping
away homes in Solai" . BBC. Retrieved
10 May 2018.
3. "Kenya Dam Disaster Toll at 48 with All
Missing Accounted for" . Voice of
America. 14 May 2018. Retrieved
14 May 2018.
4. Mkawale, Steve (11 May 2018).
"Mysterious Mansukul Patel, owner of
the killer dam" . The Standard. Nairobi.
Retrieved 11 May 2018.
5. Stephen, Mkawale (12 May 2018).
"Patel: Little-known farmer but highly
respected philanthropist" . The
Standard. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
6. Fick, Maggie (11 May 2018). "Burst
dam at Kenyan rose farm lacked
permits, police investigate" . Reuters.
Retrieved 11 May 2018.
7. "Kenya's burst Patel dam was 'built
illegally' " . BBC. Retrieved 11 May
2018.
8. Odula, Tom (10 May 2018). "At least
44 killed as dam bursts in Kenya,
officials say" . American Broadcasting
Company. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
 9. Kyama, Reuben; Pérez-Peña, Richard
(10 May 2018). "Kenya Dam Break
Wipes Out Villages, Killing Dozens" .
The New York Times. Retrieved
10 May 2018.
10. O'Grady, Siobhán (10 May 2018).
"Kenya dam bursts, killing at least 41
and sweeping away houses in 'sea of
water' " . The Washington Post.
Retrieved 10 May 2018.
11. Mkawale, Stephen (11 May 2018).
"Government drains two more dams at
Patel's farm to avert possible
tragedy" . The Standard. Nairobi.
Retrieved 11 May 2018.
12. Vidija, Patrick (10 May 2018). "Nakuru
dam death toll could be higher—
Matiangi" . The Star. Nairobi. Retrieved
10 May 2018.
13. Ndonga, Simon (15 May 2018).
"Kenya: Owner of Solai Dam Blames
Heavy Rains for Dam Wall Collapse" .
AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
14. Damary, Rita (16 May 2018). "Uhuru
makes grand promises to victims of
Solai dam tragedy" . The Star.
Retrieved 17 May 2018.
15. Mwangi, Macharia; Wanja, Magdalene
(17 May 2018). "President Kenyatta
assures Patel Dam tragedy victims of
aid" . Daily Nation. Retrieved 17 May
2018.
16. Mkawale, Stephen (17 May 2018).
"Patel keeps off Solai dam victims'
funeral service" . The Standard.
Retrieved 17 May 2018.
17. "Kenya buries victims of rose farm
dam burst" . Reuters. 16 May 2018.
Retrieved 17 May 2018.
18. "Some victims still missing as
government says all were found" . The
Standard. 14 May 2018. Retrieved
14 May 2018.
19. Mburu, Peter (19 May 2018). "Solai
camp closes today amid warning
survivors not ready for new life" . Daily
Nation. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
20. Simmons, Andrew. "Kenya dam
collapse: Missing people accounted
for" . Al Jazeera English. Retrieved
14 May 2018.
 21. Miriri, Duncan (11 May 2018). "Kenya's
top prosecutor orders dam disaster
investigation" . Reuters. Retrieved
11 May 2018.
22. Damary, Rita (12 May 2018). "Uhuru
mourns Solai 48 as state orders
countrywide inspection of dams" . The
Star. Retrieved 15 May 2018.

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