The water crisis in drought-prone Kinango constituency in Kwale is set to end after the county government installed a new pump.
The Sh6.2 million machine will pump water from Marere springs to the Kibaoni-Kinango mainline.
The pump can propel 1,000 cubic metres of water in ten hours, which will help mitigate shortage in the area.
Kinango residents have been suffering from a perennial lack of water that forces them to travel long distances in search of the commodity for domestic and livestock use.
Kwale Deputy Governor Chirema Kombo said the project is the solution to the frequent water shortage as residents will now have enough clean water in their homes.
“We bought the new pump so that locals can be supplied with water throughout,” he said.
Kombo said the county plans to construct an additional dam at the Gambani within Kinango to increase water supply.
He said the project will supplement water that will be pumped to people’s homes and improve food security as the water will be used for irrigation.
The deputy governor said the county is in the process of constructing more water projects to end decades of water shortages across the county.
He said the Kwale administration has constructed 17 mega dams and 30 boreholes in Kinango and Lunga Lunga subcounties to mitigate the effects of drought and improve the water supply.
The two areas are always adversely affected by dry weather.
Last year, Kwale government reported significant advancements in water connectivity since the advent of devolution.
Acting water director Ali Chalala said the county has made remarkable progress, increasing water supply from 35 per cent in 2013 to 57 per cent currently.
However, most residents still access to water from earth dams, wells and boreholes that are considered to be unsafe sources.
Kombo said appropriate interventions have been made to ensure residents have access to clean water for better health and development.
"The leadership of Governor Fatuma Achani is committed to making sure residents are supplied with clean and treated water for domestic consumption and for livestock," he said.
Diani municipality has already received Sh1.3 million from the World Bank to sink 11 boreholes in Mabokoni to improve water supply in the tourism hub.
Kombo said the water projects will promote better sanitation and hygiene in the county.
He urged the residents to take care of the water infrastructure and protect it from vandalism.
Kinango taps have been running dry because of the constant vandalism of water equipment.
The thieves sell the vandalised materials to illegal scrap metal dealers.
The vandalism has cost the county millions of shillings due to water loss and buying new equipment often for reinstallation.
Water executive Ahmed Mwabudzo directed Kwale Water and Sewerage Company to ensure Kinango residents are supplied with water all the time.
"In the morning, they should make sure the supply is not interrupted and at night they should pump to fill tanks so that in case of a power outage, residents can still have water," he said.