Six solar-powered water points ease shortages for villages in Kenya's Garissa County

Residents of four villages in Kenya's Garissa County have better access to water after six of eight planned solar-powered community water points were completed, Water News Kenya reported on 9 October. The villages are Yumbis, Labisigale, Hagadera and Welher.

Droughts have hit families and their livestock

Water has long been scarce in the area, and during prolonged droughts inadequate supplies have threatened livestock, a main source of income for many households. The new water points are expected to supply both households and animals and to help communities cope with recurring shortages.

The pumps run on solar power, which reduces dependence on grid electricity and fuel in an area where reliable energy is limited.

Part of a World Bank-funded programme

The water points are being built under the Water and Sanitation Development Project, which is funded by the World Bank. An earlier Kenya News Agency report described plans under the same programme for 15 solar-powered boreholes in Dadaab and Fafi sub-counties, which host the Dadaab refugee camps, to benefit about 120,000 residents.

Residents are being trained to run the systems

The Garissa Water and Sewerage Company is training residents to manage and maintain the water points once they are handed over, so that they keep working after construction ends. Two of the eight planned points have yet to be completed.

Elsewhere in Kenya, coastal communities are tackling a different water problem: on Pate Island, residents are turning plastic waste into income.