Wajir has upscaled water trucking to reduce the effects of drought in the county.
The county is trucking water to 53 centres that have been badly hit by the drought. Two bowsers supply water to each subcounty.
The county has six subcounties – Wajir East, Wajir West, Wajir South, Wajir North, Tarbaj and Eldas.
Water chief officer Yussuf Dayib on Wednesday said the below-normal March-April rain has hurt the county, where the majority of residents are pastoralists.
He said the county's resources have been stretched to the limit and the situation is getting worse by the day.
Dayib spoke to the press in Machineben, Tarbaj, where he had gone to supervise the drilling of a new borehole.
He said the county has dug 30 emergency boreholes that are spread across the subcounties.
“We have scaled up borehole maintenance. Our teams that include mechanics and electricians are working 24 hours in shifts to ensure residents do not lack water,” Dayib said.
County drought coordinator Hassan Kalmoy told the Star that two months ago, only Wajir South, Wajir West and Eldas had been hit by the drought. However, all the subcounties are now affected.
According to the Meteorological department, the dry period is expected to continue for three months, making an already bad situation worse.
Short rains are expected in October, November and December.
Dayib said the county is working with other stakeholders, including the National Drought Management Authority to reach all corners.
On Saturday, Governor Mohamed Abdi promised to increase departmental emergency funds to mitigate against drought.
He urged the national government, NGOs and other well-wishers to come to the county's aid.
The situation has led to an increase in rural-urban migration.
