The National Irrigation Authority has constructed 642 water pans worth Sh137.4 million in Limuru and Kikuyu subcounties of Kiambu.
NIA Irrigation manager Loice Kahiga said the cumulative water storage of the pans is 1,006.415 cubic metres which can irrigate about 800 acres.
She said Nachu in Kikuyu had benefited from 189 water pans at a cost of Sh39 million while Mirithu in Ndeiya ward of Limuru had got 99 pans worth Sh19.9million.
Additionally, NIA plans to construct water pans for a cumulative volume of 260,000 cubic meters in the 2019-20 financial year.
Rehabilitation of existing water pans is planned, targeting a maximum volume of 100,000 cubic metres which are expected to benefit Lari and Githunguri subcounties.
This will bring an additional 300 acres under supplementary irrigation.
Once implemented, farmers who have pans on their lands will engage in production of food crops through irrigation, both for domestic consumption and also for sale.
Kahiga gave a briefing to the Kiambu County Development Implementation Coordination Committee at the county commissioner’s office on Saturday.
She said there was a need for the team to visit the Yatta settlement scheme in Machakos and benchmark on best practices for water pans.
Farmers in Yatta, she said, were properly utilising the water and as such they were growing numerous food crops, thus drawing steady incomes.
Kahiga said the water pans will increase food production especially horticulture across through small scale irrigation practices.
(edited by O. Owino)
