Harnessing Run-off water to alleviate the problem of water shortage in Igembe North
Posted: May 17 th, 2013 Story by JOSHUA MEEME
(To all people of goodwill and passionate in helping people of Igembe in overcoming the water shortage problem, lend me your helping hand. It is the best way to give back to the society. Get in touch with me through the contacts given at the end of this proposal preview. Thank you in advance)
The problem of water shortage has affected the people of Igembe from time immemorial. It has been tackled by different well wishers but the result has been disappointing. First, Tuuru Water Supply was mandated by late Mzee Kenyatta's government to provide piped water to the people of Igembe. The management of the organization sponsored by the Catholic Church has tried but this water has not been reliable. A large network of pipes has been laid down with on average for every three homes one has been piped; but the taps are still dry. The problem becomes worse during dry season when water levels drop at the reservoirs in Nyambene forest. This is the time when people need water most. But there is rarely water flowing on these pipes. Many pipe laying projects have cost mothers and the management a lot of man-hours. This has, however not changed the situation. PROJECT “Harnessing Run-Off to Save Mothers” is geared towards alleviating the problem.
Political leadership led by then Member of Parliament Maoka Maore has also tried to solve the problem. Then followed the relentless effort of immediate former MP Ntoitha M'Mithiaru. The burden now lies with current MP Joseph M'Eruaki. This problem however, should not be left to one person in the position of leadership. The problem has been approached from a different angles with sinking of boreholes and provision of plastic tanks. But with little success.
Different areas were selected for bore hole drilling starting with Tamani (Inono), Ndumuru, and Mbiriata. The result of these boreholes' drilling has been disappointing after it was discovered that the water table is extremely low. Hydrological survey shows the drilling of boreholes cannot be relied on besides being very expensive venture. The only successive drilling of sustainable water was later done at Inoono. The provision of water is not reliable. People continue to buy water at exorbitant prices
Other groups like the Plan International have come up with a project to supply the people with water tanks. These water tanks were small and metallic, therefore they have rusted and currently cannot hold any water, any more. A good number of families have acquired plastic tanks but the quantity cannot be relied on as well.
None of these projects has ever thought about water harnessing and digging of dams. There is a lot of run-off water that leaves the land scarred with deep gullies during rainy seasons. Harnessing this water can make the use of run-off water.
Water dams can serve many people and can also be used to irrigate land. Our land is very fertile and therefore we can irrigate the land apart from relying on rain fed agriculture. If we can be able to sink dams or develop water pans, then our people can realize the potential of irrigating land. This is the dream that we the youth of Igembe have in mind through “Harnessing Run-Off to Save Mothers”
The future long term plan of these water projects is to have a water purification plant. The plant would make the water safe for drinking. The immediate short term plan is to focus on educating people on simple ways of safe water and how to prevent water borne diseases. Through alleviation of water shortage, it would be possible to address the bigger problem of poverty and girl child school dropout.
Major obstacles are expected from financial to political interference. Though the project “Harnessing Run-Off to Save Mothers” has focused on solving the problem, we are not fearful of those who may feel intimidated by the project. We the young people of Igembe, feel that the solutions lie within us and it is the high time we take charge. We take charge by solving people's problems without looking over the shoulders to see who is watching. Only solving the problem of our people is our concern.
The Tuuru Water Supply (TWS) under Father Andrew Mbiko has done a good job by bringing affordable water to the people. However, the problem of water has remained due to lack clear guidelines of what is needed and how the problem can be solved. We know the laid down pipes and water harvesting tanks in homesteads will form a useful framework and infrastructure necessary in solving the problem. But the network only, cannot solve the problem but maintaining water in the tanks and the pipes will. The long term solution is the harnessing water that can be used during dry season. The solution can only come from building dams to collect water runoff for use during the dry seasons.
inking boreholes cannot also be relied as the hydrological survey shows that the water table is low and the projects is expensive. If the same amount of money committed in sinking boreholes was dedicated in preparing dams then the problem would be solved.
HISTORICAL DATA and PILOT PROJECTS
There are areas that can serve as pilot project of building dams. Aithu pan (also called Lake Atandi) collects water during the rainy season. This area has history of collecting water that suffocate all plants leaving them dead. Instead of using this area as a resource, we take it as a curse. Aithu pan is central in Mutuati Division that suffers acute water shortage during the dry season. The area is sorounded by many hills among them Barenta, Mucau, Ikongolo and Kathima. The water that gathers in the area only sinks after months of stagnation leaving land barren with no plant life.
The area can therefore be acquired as the water runoff need only to be managed and conserved and it can be distributed to many areas with the problem. The dam will be able to serve Mutuati, Kabachi, Ntobochiu, and Amwathi.
Another pan is sunk at Ithaata next to Kamweline Police Station. This dam will be able serve the entire Kamaoo, Leeta, Kiolo, Mporoko, and areas that use it for farming and livestock use. The area is sorounded by many hills among them Ntoyiri, Rumbine, Tiiri, Mithangene and Kamaringa. These two dams would be able to serve more than one thousand families and thousands of livestock.
EMPIRICAL FACTS
Let us assume on average one person consumes allocated 40-litres per day. In three months every person will require 4000 litres. A pan of one hectare (100m by 100m by 5m(deep) can contain a volume of water in excess 50,000 cubic metres (50 million litres or 2.5 million 20-litre drums). This water can support 12,500 people for three months each person expected to consume 40 litres per day. Buying the same at Sh30 per 20-litre jerrican comes to Sh 75 million every three months. This is the amount of money that can be used to improve the welfare of the area.
BUDGET
oESTIMATED COST.......................................................KSHS. 46 million
Year 1 - Development of Water dams in Aithu and Ithaata. The area has soft soil
· Acquiring land.............................................................KSHS. 1.5 million per pan
Total KSHS. 3 million
· Dam survey and design.......................................................KSHS 1.5 million
· Excavating pans to increase capacity.................................KSHS 10 million
· Fencing.................................................................................KSHS 2 million
· Personnel ............................................................................KSHS 2.5 million
· Contingency.........................................................................KSHS 1 million
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TOTAL KSHS 20 Million
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Year 2 - Operation/Maintenance of Aithu pan and Construction of Ithaata Pan. (Ithaata pan has hard rock)
· Acquiring storage tanks...........................................................KSHS 10 million
· Personnel ...................................................................................KSHS 1.5 million
· Expanding the piped network...................................................KSHS 3 million
· Education and sensitization......................................................KSHS 0.5 million
· Contingency............................................................................... KSHS 1 million
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TOTAL KSHS 16 million
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Year 3 – Building of water purification plant at both Ithaata and Aithu
· Design and construction....................................................... KSHS 7.5 million
· Personnel................................................................................. KSHS1.5 million
· Contingency............................................................................. KSHS 1 million
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TOTAL KSHS 10 million
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For More Information or Queries, Call or email:
Meeme Joshua (coordinator)
email: meemejoshua@yahoo.com
mobile: + (254) 722 554 956 or +(254) 734 345 823
Joshua B. Meeme has taken the initiative to carry the problem of the women and girls in alleviating the water problem in Igembe. It is with great appreciation that I acknowledge members of the group (Igembe Youth Progressive Alliance - IPYA) who challenged me to come up with the project meant to deal with problems of our people. I feel greatly indebted to the people for the education they struggled to ensure that I complete. Since I cannot be able to satisfactorily provide for their daily needs through money, I have endeavored to use the knowledge they helped me to acquire to help them deal with the problems of our community.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A vote of thanks goes to other group members who with their moral support have been able to put down this project. However, this proposal is not absolute. Any improvement in budgeting and financing is highly appreciated.
To those willing to partner with me, on this and other projects meant to change the destiny of our people, am always available to share my ideas with them without reservations. IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO TAKES CREDIT BUT THE IMPACT WE LEAVE TO OUR PEOPLE that will make us compete with the rest of the Meru County constituencies at the same level.
Long Live People of Igembe - Umwiiru
