Bomet county enters partnership to protect 74 water springs

Dig Deep (Africa) is partnering with the County Government of Bomet to protect dozens of  water springs across the county.

In a statement released on Monday, October 24, a pilot phase involving 20 springs will be carried out in the next year.

The statement came after a meeting between Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and the Dig Deep delegation led by its chairman of the board David Fitzsimmons and Head of Programmes Justus Tanui.

The remaining springs will be rehabilitated in year two.

“We applaud the contribution of our development partner, Dig Deep, in improving the lives of our people, especially through the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure in several parts of Bomet County,” the statement read in part.

The partnership will also see them provide six schools with access to VIP latrines for both boys and girls and access to clean water through rainwater harvesting.

“We shall also pilot a community rainwater harvesting project in the Ndanai-Abosi ward, Sotik sub-county.

“Going forward, we are strengthening our collaboration for future activities that help in tackling the problem of sanitation among our people,” the statement added.

During World Water Day 2022, Dig Deep launched Chemutial Spring in Sotik Sub-County which saw over 200 households have access to clean and safe water.

At the spring site, a 30,000-litre tank was used to collect water which was then connected directly to six adjacent taps.

It is not just a major transformation but huge relief to area residents who had to queue for hours waiting for the precious commodity.

“We had few drops of water coming from the spring yet the demand is so high. That forced us to be coming here at night to fetch water which is not safe and we would still queue for hours. Those cold nights were horrible,”[1]  narrated Esther Terer, a resident of Chepkochun, one of the villages that benefit from the spring.

The organization has been partnering with the county governments in various projects including the launch of the WASH Masterplan that will seek to provide every household in the county with access to clean water by 2036.

Launched in a colourful ceremony at the county headquarters on July 15, 2022, the document is a culmination of a two-year process, initiated and then facilitated by Dig Deep (Africa) in close collaboration with the county’s departments of Water, Public Health and Medical Services, as well as the Kenya Red Cross, AquaClara Kenya and World Vision Kenya.

“We started in 2020 by doing a survey in all five wards of Sotik sub-county and counted data on basic hygiene in all areas, including schools,” said Tanui.

He added:

“We then put people in four categories; men, women, youth and persons living with disabilities, to conduct public participation; after which we did data analysis.”

County Governor of Bomet Prof. Hillary Barchok on his part said: 

"The poor and disadvantaged communities are the most affected, with children and women bearing the burden. The adverse effects of climate change will continue to impact on WASH in the County."

He added:

"Through various strategies with the national government and partnership with Dig Deep (Africa) and other partners in WASH, the County has made firm commitments to developing the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene masterplan (WASH). Appreciation goes to Dig Deep (Africa) which has played a key role to ensure that we deliver this WASH Masterplan." 

Dig Deep (Africa) focuses on water, sanitation and hygiene.

It has reached over 200,000 people in Kenya with clean water, safe toilets and good hygiene since 2007.