Coast Development Authority chairman Mzee Mwinyi speaking to the press.
Residents of Fafi constituency are happy after the Coast Development Authority launched Sh90 million water projects in the area.
On Wednesday, the authority launched the construction of three water pans to address persistent water scarcity in the vast constituency.
Speaking during the handover of the water pan sites to the builders, CDA chairman Mzee Mwinyi said they have initiated several impactful projects under the drought mitigation scheme in the constituency, and by the end of the year, eight projects will have been rolled out.
He said Kaltum and Gure water pans will each cost Sh20 million. The one in Hiribae will cost Sh50 million.
“These water pans will be a big relief to the residents, who usually trek for kilometres in search of water. As we are all aware, Fafi, just like other parts of the region, experiences water scarcity and so such projects mean a lot to residents,” Mwinyi said.
Coast Development Authority acting
managing director Dr Mwanasiti Bendera speaking to the press.
The chairman said CDA had in the past constructed a Sh142 million mega earth fill dam in Galma Gala, which he said has spurred economic development.
“That tells the impact of having these water projects in these areas. This is an arid area, and as we all know, water is life,” Mwinyi said.
He called for more political support for more projects to be initiated in the sparsely populated subcounty.
“We need more resources, more funding, so we can have more water projects, especially in areas that have for decades experienced water shortage,” Mwinyi said.
Resident Mohamed Abdi said water has been their biggest challenge for decades.
“As we are all aware, the vagaries of climate change have affected humans and livestock in equal measure. And so the construction of the three water pans in Kaltum, Gure and Hiribae in our vast constituency is a timely intervention,” he said.
Mariam
Hussein, 55, said lack of water had negatively
affected their lives, including schoolgoing children, whom she noted were in some
instances forced to skip school to look for water.
“This water project is a big relief to us. We have for decades trekked for kilometres in pursuit of this precious commodity. We can't thank CDA enough,” she said.
Kaltum and Gure have a capacity of 20,000
cubic metres of water, while Hiribae will hold 80,000 cubic
metres.
CDA acting managing director Mwanasiti Bendera said the three projects will ensure there is adequate water for the people in the constituency, for domestic use and livestock.
“Fafi is
an arid area where we have water scarcity and the community is
pastoralist. They normally walk long distances to get water for their livestock.
With this project now completed, I am sure their suffering has come to an end,” she
said
Fafi CDF
chairman Abdirahman Ibrahim said the water projects are a huge relief to residents, who have suffered for long.
He urged the
government to reconsider scrapping Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) as
they complement the government in the implementation of the Bottom-Up Economic
Transformation Agenda (Beta).
“RDAs are
really doing immense work at the grassroots level, and this is what Beta was.
We voted for this government because of Beta, and this is what CDA is doing. We
are telling President William Ruto to reconsider and instead restructure
those RDAs,” Ibrahim said.
