More than 30,000 people have been reconnected to water supply following the completion of a year-long drought emergency response programme in Turkana county.
The project saw 15 boreholes drilled in Turkana North and Turkana South subcounties.
The boreholes were rehabilitated by Peace Winds Japan NGO in partnership with the county and the government of Japan through UNICEF Kenya.
Turkana Water chief officer David Maraka said reusable pads for menstrual hygiene, water fetching and storage jerrycans, water treatment aquatabs were also distributed.
Some toilet facilities were also constructed in four schools within the two subcounties.
Maraka said water point management teams were also trained to enhance the adoption of good governance practices.
He urged the management of the water points to consider acquiring borehole breakdown insurance services provided by Lodwar Caritas to safeguard against potential setbacks.
“We understand that Turkana is heavily reliant on boreholes and any disruptions or mechanical issues with these boreholes significantly impact the residents," Maraka said.
"Through our collaboration with Peace Winds Japan, we successfully rehabilitated 15 boreholes, reconnected more than 30,000 people to water.”
The rehabilitation efforts included, upgrading hand pumps to solar systems, replacing submersible pumps, adding solar panels, repairing storage and distribution tanks and unclogging waterways to remove blockages in the supply system.
Acknowledging that Turkana possesses more than 1,000 boreholes that could sustainably provide water for various purposes, Chief Officer Maraka said majority are non-functional.
“We traced the breakdowns to drought. When some boreholes dried up due to the falling water table, the other boreholes were under pressure to serve the increased populations,” he said.
Maraka praised Peace Winds Japan for its innovative approach to rehabilitate existing water systems, provide instant results and reconnect users to water supply.
Peace Winds Japan county coordinator Trizabel Oliwa said the programme was part of the Unicef-led emergency drought response measure targeting vulnerable communities in the Horn of Africa.
“The intention was to increase access to water and improve general hygiene and sanitation,” she said.
Noting that all 15 boreholes had been rehabilitated as scheduled, she said the work began with thorough data and evidence-informed assessments of the areas to inform targeting.
“The data reviewed was sourced from the county and subcounty-level water offices, while the additional primary data was collected through intensive one-on-one conversations with key informants,”Oliwa said.
She said the intervention included water quality checks, issuance of assessment equipment to the subcounty water officers to facilitate repairs and a software bit of training both the community and the beneficiary schools on WASH compliance and sustainability.
Lydia Ekaale, a young woman from Kanaodon said she used to walk for more than five kilometres to search for water.
“The Kanaodon project has given us relief. We have also benefited from a pipeline extension that brought water to our doorsteps,” she said.
Moses Ewoton, another resident said the area's only water source, River Turkwel, was unclean.
A borehole drilled in 2017 broke-down due to lack of maintenance.
“We now have more time to work, attend to our farms and take our children to school.”
