With Sand Dams, Crops Flourishing Rain or Shine
It last rained in Makueni County some seven months ago, and all the seasonal rivers are dry and water is scarce.
In Songeni village in the heart of Mbooni East constituency, however, things are different. Members of Mukaso Self-Help Group have plenty of water, which they are using to farm.
The villagers collected the water when it last rained in February, stored it in sand dams and are using it for irrigation.
“Access to water has been our biggest nightmare in this village for some time,” says Rose Mutinda, a farmer and a mother of five. “But with the dams, we now grow our crops without worry.”
A sand dam is made by building a thick wall across a seasonal river. Therefore, when it rains, water is stored on one side of the wall.
Diego Charlón Sánchez