Kenya is limited by an annual renewable fresh water supply of only 647 cubic meters per capita, and is classified as a water scarce country. The water “crisis” is due not only to the wave of droughts, but also to poor management of the water supply, under-investment, unequal allocation of water, rampant deforestation, pollution of water supplies by untreated sewage, and a huge population explosion. This applies to Laikipia, where Ol Pejeta and its surrounding communities are located. Despite Ol Pejeta’s efforts to ensure that there is proper ecosystem management, not only on the Conservancy, but also in surrounding communities, we are still facing water shortages. Within our local communities, where the population is growing, there is a need to establish the proper infrastructure to manage water resources effectively.
Many families amongst the communities surrounding the Ol Pejeta Conservancy are forced to walk many kilometres every day to collect water from communal water sources. Often the water is unfit for human consumption, resulting in high incidences of water-born disease. While boreholes do exist they often fall into disrepair as many communities cannot afford to keep them maintained. Where rivers exist they are often over-utilized for inefficient irrigation, resulting in reduced river flows to those living downstream. Many livestock dams, designed to trap and store flood-water, are currently broken or silted up.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy's Interventions:
- Supported the implementation of the Ex-Erok water supply systems
- Waichekeheri and Ereri communities are supplied with water on daily basis from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy
- Marura and Tigithi Women’s Group received several rain water-catchment tanks
- Ol Pejeta, together with the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and the Safaricom Foundation, work to support the development of river water-users associations
- Using our own earth-moving equipment we work to de-silt and repair dams and create dry-season livestock drinking pans
- We operate a borehole rig to cost-effectively clean and repair boreholes that have fallen into disrepair. We also work to rectify and administer abandoned water schemes