Kenya's Secretary for Water Launches Water Harvesting, Storage Plan
Following close to four months of dry spells in the country, the rains have finally started. There is relief. However, this is a frequent occurrence.
Every time the country has a dry spell, citizens suffer. They go to great lengths to look for water for their various needs. In Urban areas, like Nairobi, water rationing becomes the order of the day.
The country goes through this cycle every so often. Long spells of drought are followed by rains. However, even when the volumes of the rains are huge, no sustainable measures are put in place to harvest and conserve the water from such rains.
The end result is huge quantities get wasted. When the next dry spells come, citizens and processes suffer from the lack of a conservation ethic.
It is consequently gratifying to read reports that a campaign to harvest and manage water is being mooted.
The campaign was launched last week by the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Eugene Wamalwa. It should hopefully help reverse the current situation, where despite receiving more rainfall than it actually needs, the country is still a water scarce country.
Neil Palmer/CIAT