The county government of Wajir has allocated Sh150 million to support the ongoing water trucking programme and maintenance of boreholes as a drought intervention measure.
“We are at the peak of the dry season which cuts across many parts of the country," Governor Mohamed Abdi said at a function in Wajir town on Monday.
Abdi said his administration had successfully formed the Wajir Water and Sewerage Company board as part of requirements to enable the organisation to function efficiently. The new board members were inaugurated on March 20.
He said the county is developing policies that will ensure services are streamlined effectively, and Wajwasco is structured and strengthened to meet the demands of water provision and sanitation services.
To address the shortage, Abdi said his government has allocated Sh70 million to pipe water from Griftu town to Tula Tula settlement in the next financial year.
He lauded development partners and investors in the water sector such as National Disaster Management Authority and other non-governmental organisations like Oxfam, World Vision, Aldef, Mercy Corps and Wasda for their continued support.
The county government on Friday joined the world in commemorating the 26th World Water Day.
Water department chief officer Yussuf Dayib said, "Water is not only a basic need but a fundamental human right that is supposed to be in the right quantity, of right quality and in the right place."
Dayib on Friday revealed that access to safe, clean water is a flagship project of Wajir as identified in the County Integrated Development Plan.
The plan targets to increase access to water to 80 per cent in the next three years in line with vision 2030 and the Millennium Development Goals.
