Pumping of Turkana underground water to start this week

A ministry of water officials shows an area where underground water was discovered. [PHOTO: STANDARD/ FILE]

By GATONYE GATHURA

TURKANA: By the end of this week, engineers will have started pumping water from the massive underground deposits discovered in Turkana last year.

Since last week, the multinational water company, Davis & Shirtliff, started equipping the Napuu borehole, about 6km from Lodwar town, with the necessary pumping and piping facilities.

Environment ministry Director of Water Resources John Nyaoro said Davis and Shirtiliff, which won the tender, should take about two weeks to equip the borehole.

“Once this is done, the Rift Valley Water Board together with the Turkana county government will start laying down distribution pipes to Lodwar town,” Eng Nyaoro told The Standard in an interview Monday.

He estimated that by March, the residents of Lodwar town would start enjoying the underground water, possibly closing one of the worst chapters on water scarcity in the region.

The engineer said to cut down on costs and adhere to good environmental practices, they would use solar energy to pump the water.

The Napuu borehole, he said, would yield about 64 cubic metres of water per hour and can continuously pump for 12 hours. “This is a very good yield by any standards,” he said.

Nyaoro said the Water ministry was planning to drill another three boreholes and is currently sourcing contractors.

The water is expected to provide great relief to residents whose region regularly experiences water, pasture and food shortages.

Last month, Garissa County Commissioner Rashid Khator warned of an impending drought in the region. And the Director of the Meteorological Department Joseph Mukabana has warned of high temperatures in the region and possible heat waves in January.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Over the weekend, the National Drought Management Authority was locked in a meeting to discuss how to effectively respond to possible food and water shortages particularly among pastoral communities in the north, eastern and parts of the Rift Valley regions.

Although the water could be the best news in the region in a long time, dramatic changes are expected to take longer to be felt. This is because significant changes will require time and huge financial resources to effectively distribute the water to all parts of northern Kenya.

In his assessment of the short rains, which ceased in December, Dr Mukabana said rain was not enough to either generate good pasture in pastoral areas or fill water bodies.

“This means reduced water resources for domestic use, drinking and sanitation in many areas and particularly in the northern, north-eastern and south-eastern parts of the country,” he said in his January weather report.