The government will construct a major dam in Bute, Wajir North as one of the long-term measures put in place to ease the water shortage in the drought-hit county.
Water and sanitation PS Dr Paul Rono said that the Bute dam will identify another seven medium-scale dams to be constructed in every constituency.
The PS who was speaking while in the company of area governor Ahmed Abdullahi further said that the government will also repair about 30 boreholes.
“The National Government through its various agencies will continue working closely with the county to make sure that we are there for Kenyans. We have discussed a wide range of issues both short and long-term,” he said.
The PS was speaking in Wajir town when he flagged off water bowsers by Northern Waterworks which are meant to enhance water tracking.
The water shortage has been occasioned by five successive seasons of drought.
The NDMA in its January 2023 bulletin paints a worrying picture in 23 counties that have been classified as either in the alarm or alert phase of the drought.
According to NDMA, a total of 550,000 people are food insecure in Wajir county which is in the alarm stage with the number set to increase in the coming weeks if it does not rain in April
The PS also spoke about the non-revenue water saying that the country was losing a lot of money as a result of it.
“As you may be aware we are losing close to Sh10 billion every year because of non-revenue. People not paying for water and sometimes destruction of infrastructure,” he said.
He said that the national government has launched a police unit to crack down on individuals who are either destroying, vandalizing or damaging the infrastructure or individuals who are not paying for water.
The PS who signed an agreement between the national and county government said that the non-revenue water was making the country non-attractive when it co
mes to looking for resources to invest in water.
“I want to say that their time has come to an end because we will team up with the county to crack on those individuals and agencies in this county who are harvesting and utilizing water and not paying for the same,” he said.
Governor Abdullahi who commended the National government and its agencies for their continual support to drought-stricken counties was however quick to call for more intervention saying that the number of those in need was rapidly increasing with each passing day.
The governor who two weeks ago launched several drought intervention measures said the county could not provide sufficient food aid to all residents.
“This timely support is truly a significant boost to our ongoing water access-related initiatives such as drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes,” said the council of governors vice chair.
He added:
“Drought continues to have devastating effects on our people and the situation is worsening. Families are hungry and they are at risk of starving to death. So such interventions will go a along way in managing the situation,” he said.
