- The report showed two boreholes were also drilled and data collected in Murang’a and Kitui counties bringing the total to 28.
- The report said the total groundwater potential in the country is 1,740 million cubic meters/year.
Image: MUSEMBI NZENGU
Five arid and semi-arid counties have been mapped in the latest bid to identify water aquifers, the government has said.
“This initiative is ongoing in Marsabit and 17 other counties in the Athi and Tana basins. When this exercise is concluded, we shall be able to identify groundwater aquifers and the expanse they cover,” Water PS Julius Korir said in a speech read on his behalf by Kinyua Mwera from the ministry.
In the 2021 annual status report on water, sanitation and irrigation, the ministry said Water Resource Authority had in the last few years collected data from exploratory boreholes to validate groundwater resources availability in Turkana (six), Marsabit (five), Garissa (four), Wajir (one), Tana River (two), Tharaka (two), Isiolo (three), Embu (two), Kajiado (two) and Machakos (two) in the year 2020/2021.
The report showed two boreholes were also drilled and data collected in Murang’a and Kitui counties bringing the total to 28.
The report said the total groundwater potential in the country is 1,740 million cubic metres per year.
Groundwater exploitation is controlled through an authorisation system by the Water Resource Authority.
The report shows there are more than 23,500 boreholes throughout the country, the majority of which have areas with high borehole density has negative water balance due to over-abstraction.
The report showed coastal areas along the shoreline, a small section of upper Athi, a small section of upper Tana and around Lake Victoria catchment, still have positive water balance.
Korir said the next step will be to research and determine the quantity and quality of groundwater held in the identified aquifers.
“This knowledge could be a game changer in the Asal areas where water is limited.”
Korir’s speech was read on Thursday during a media breakfast on the strides made in enhancing water coverage through a programme known as REACH Kenya.
The breakfast event was under the theme: “Improving Water Security in Kenya’s Drylands in Light of Climate Change”.
It was organised by the REACH Kenya Programme based at the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation, University of Nairobi, with the support of the Kenya Editors Guild and the Kenya Environment and Science Journalists Association.
The REACH programme seeks to reduce inequalities in water security, build capacity for climate resilience, improve water quality management and strengthen institutions for water security.
The REACH is funded by the Foreign, Common Wealth and Development Office, a collaboration that has brought together leading universities from the UK, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Kenya with the mission of ensuring water security for those who need it most.
Korir said Asal areas have a particularly unique situation.
“Recently, we have seen areas experiencing floods at one point within the year and after some months, drought sets in. Ensuring water is collected during floods would ensure the area is water-secure during the period of drought.”
Kenya aspires to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.
Kenya is considered a water-scarce country, with a per capita water availability of less than 600 cubic metres, below the global threshold of 1,000 cubic metres per capita.
The government needs at least Sh 1 trillion to achieve universal access to water and sanitation.
Currently, only 29 per cent of Kenyans have access to sanitation, while 40 per cent lack access to safe drinking water.
The PS said Asal regions are vulnerable to frequent droughts and water scarcity leading to food insecurity, displacement and social conflict.
Korir said the harvested water acts as water recharge considering soils in some of these areas are not compact and infiltration to recharge aquifers is easier.
The PS said the country is seeking to achieve water security through many initiatives that will increase water availability and storage per capita.
He said through the 100 dam initiative, the state seeks to attract private investors to construct and operate mega dams and recoup their investment through tariffs obtained from bulk water purchase agreements.
“The ministry is in the process of finalising the water sector climate finance plan which seeks to ensure the water sector adopts climate change mitigation and adaptation measures,” Korir said.
As part of solving water scarcity that causes water insecurity and other conflicts, Korir said the state is keen to harvest the commodity and store, protect catchment, restore and rehabilitate and exploit groundwater.