Page 74 - MANDERA-COUNTY- THE 2019 MAGAZINE

74

WATER IS LIFE

Tapping a precious commdity

Elwak MCA Adan Maalim Mohamed (right) joins Governor Ali Roba and Water ministry officials
sample fresh water drilled in Elwak town.
andera is an arid and semi- making efforts to ensure all Man- • Rehabilitation of four urban and
arid region that faced se- dera people have access to water 60 rural water supplies
Mvere water shortages be- throughout the County. • Construction of two major new
fore devolution. The water stress is urban water supplies
often worsened by long dry spells To achieve its targets, the Ministry • Construction of 34 new rural water
and the effects of climate change of Water outlined a strategic plan supplies
Mohamed Ali that dog County 009. covering five years (2013 -2018) in This has brought the additional
CECM, Water, Energy, Today, residents have a reason to line with Mandera County Integrat- population with access to clean
Environment, Natural smile since a total of 56 boreholes ed Development Plan (CIDP) envis- and safe water services to 720,000
Resources and have been successfully drilled, aged to increase water coverage by 2019.
Climate Change seeing them access clean drinking from 31% to 56% by 2019, which it In reducing the vulnerability of com-
We are water after many years of margin- has achieved. The second version munities to the negative impacts of
committed alization. of the county’s CIDP deepened the drought and floods, the ministry has
undertaken:
foundations already laid to reduce
Being an arid area faced with very
to achieving serious challenges, the County distances covered to access water. • Rapid response maintenance
Sustainable Government has put emphasis in The administration targets to teams to reduced the vulnerability
of communities to negative impacts
the sector with the construction of
Development 81 new small to medium-sized wa- achieve the four programmes put of drought, This has enabled quick
response to emergencies within 24
Goal no. 6 ter pans (15,000m3 – 30,000m3) in place - development of ground hours.
and construction of 21 big dams water and surface water, rehabili-
by ensuring (60,000m3 – 110,000m3) that tation of existing water supplies, • Emergency water trucking was
successfully conducted to between
availability and has brought the storage capacity drought mitigation and the improve- 125 and 153 sites during various
ment of institutional capacity. The
availed through the construction of
sustainable dams/pans to 3,175,000m 3 planned activities aims at drilling 80 drought seasons between July
2013 and April 2017.
management The County Government placed boreholes, construction of 89 earth As a result no livestock death due
pans, construction of five medium
priority in water services as a very
of water and critical deliverable to alleviate the size water supplies, as well as the to drought has been reported in the
county since July 2013 due to the
sanitation for suffering and quench the thirst of rehabilitation and maintenance of shortage of water.
74 water schemes and capacity
humans and animals.
all, including Our Constitution in Article 43 lists building of institution. In a bid to address long-standing
challenges of inadequate human
our animals, water as a basic human right which The County Government remains resource capacity, the ministry has
should be available in adequate
committed to increasing access to
deployed 22 water engineering as-
because we are quantities. Through partnership efficient, safe and affordable water sistants and seven county drivers
pastoralists with stakeholders we a vision of and sewerage services through: from the other departments through