Two engineering technology students from the University of Hasselt left Brussels in February with a glass of hope for a thirsty village in Kenya.
They arrived in Nairobi excited this being their first time in Africa. Lukas Degrande and Sven Kumpen had a mission in the drought-prone village, Kanjira, about 400km west of Nairobi, in Midwest Karachuonyo, Homa Bay county.
The timing of their arrival was significant. Drought was ravaging, the sky was dry and cloudless, and the dusty village pathways spoke a familiar tragedy.
The 60 years of political independence have brought zero change to this village. Promises of access to clean water by 2000 fell apart. The UN Millennium Development Goals, now 22 years behind schedule, don't impress the thirsty. The students raised money through pizza sales to their families, college mates, and friends to make the trip.
Funding from Wild Geese and Stichting Homa Bay Foundation of The Netherlands inspired the 'Our Water, Our Life Mission'. The students knew the challenge through research, and literature reviews. They had money to support a solarized water borehole for the school. The well would also serve a community of 800 households, across a 2km radius.
A published author in underground water regimes did hydro-physical surveys. The surveyor has referrals, and a practice spanning 30 years, and 98 per cent success.
Environmental impact assessment reports and Water Resource Authority permits were acquired. Public participation was ascertained. The village was excited that clean water would flow from the breasts of the earth. Doubts of the accuracy of the science of the underground water aquifers did not arise.
Sparr Drilling, a well developer with referrals across East Africa, arrived on site on March 23. Drilling, pump-testing, and well development would take seven days. The driller would then move to Kanyamfwa Secondary School, two kilometers from Ndhole, for another seven days of work.
The Belgian engineers, Kumpen and Degrande, made three trips from their village residence, each day, to the site to supervise the work. During each trip, they passed a drying up, muddy, dirt-brown, village water pan. They would meet thirsty villagers — women and children — struggling to fetch water from the pan. Their village adventure gave hope clean water would flow. But each day came with doubts.
Loose soil would fall, blocking the fissure. The driller would rush to collect temporary well-casing steel. At 150m, there was some water. At 180m, the water discharge reduced. At 200m, and then 250m, the yield was low. The discharge, 500 litres per hour, could not support investment in a solar pump, panels, and distribution.
Another survey was recommended. There were indications the second site would yield more cubic meters of water. But at 150m, the signs diminished. At 180m, aquifers were found to have dried up. Two other boreholes — 250m and 225m — have low yields, far below recommendation recharge for pumping. What does the expert say?
"I have surveyed sites in Karachuonyo having similar data. We had successful drilling. We are baffled these wells are not successful, even after repeat surveys. Any geologist would recommend drilling after reviewing the data. During the re-surveys, I consulted widely. My colleagues concurred with the findings. The driller informed me the well had some water. Let them clean the borehole. The borehole will open with time."
Signs of climate change? Seismologists, climatologists, geologists, and hydro-physical surveyors should study this danger to underground water systems.
