Relief as new Modogashe water project completed, to serve 30,000 people

Modogashe residents in Garissa County have every reason to smile after the county government launched a water supply project to ease access to water for over 30,000 people.

The town has had a continuous water shortage crisis for a long time, with area residents depending on water tracking from local leaders and non-governmental organisations.

Modogashe, one of the oldest settlements in Northern Kenya, has long depended on shallow wells dug into the Togweyn laga-a seasonal riverbed that served as a lifeline during dry seasons.

These wells, manually excavated into the sandy riverbed, provided groundwater but were often unreliable and unsustainable, especially during prolonged droughts when the water table dropped significantly.

Lack of water in areas around the town has also led to conflicts, especially with herders from the neighbouring Isiolo County, sometimes leaving dozens dead.

The new project features four fully equipped boreholes drilled at Qone plains, approximately 45 km away in the Lorian Swamp, with water conveyed to Modogashe via a newly constructed distribution pipeline.

To ensure stable distribution, two water storage tanks with a total capacity of 700,000 litres have been constructed to act as redistribution points.

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama said that the project was ushering in dignity and health through access to clean water.

“This project has taken us close to two years, but we thank God it has been completed. Today, the residents here have water in their households. Over 200 households and all government institutions here have been connected to water,” Jama said.

“Moving forward, more households will be served, and the Garissa Rural Water and Sewerage Company will take over and ensure that there is an uninterrupted supply of water to our citizens in this town."

At the same time, the governor urged the residents to take care and protect the infrastructure, warning that any attempt to vandalise equipment will be prosecuted.

Lagdera MP Mohamed Hussein, while commending the development milestone, urged the county government to extend the project to the people of neighbouring Isiolo county, especially the Sericho area.

Hussein said that the people from both sides have been coexisting in peace, and despite the few conflict incidents they have had, they have been sharing local resources.

“We want this water to be piped even to our neighbours in Isiolo county. We normally share resources with them; we have been staying together for the last 100 years, and we want to share this water with them,” Hussein said.

“For a long time, we have had conflicts with the people of Isiolo, but this time, the conflicts are over. We have sat down as leaders, elders and administrators from both counties to bring peace, and we are at a stage that no going back, we must live in peace,” he added.