BOREHOLE INTEGRITY IN KENYA'S WAJIR DISTRICT

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001805 SIPDIS AIDAC AFDROUGHT SIPDIS STATE FOR EPRATT USAID/W FOR AA/DCHA, WGARVELINK, LROGERS DCHA/OFDA FOR GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS, CGOTTSCHALK, KCHANNELL DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN AFR/EA FOR JBORNS, KNELSON USUN FOR EMALY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER ROME FOR FODAG GENEVA FOR NKYLOH NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY E.O. 12958QN/A TAGS: EAID KE SUBJECT: BOREHOLE INTEGRITY IN KENYA'S WAJIR DISTRICT Summary ¶1. Boreholes, pumping water from depths of 200 meters, are critical in sustaining pastoralists and livestock in Kenya?s arid Wajir District. Pumps have been operating continuously during the last six-month dry period and their mechanical integrity is now questionable. Exhausted generators, broken pipes, and collapsed storage tanks characterize most of the sites, which receive little support from government or resource poor communities. Rehabilitation of wells is necessary to reduce the high likelihood of failure due to mechanical breakdowns. USAID/OFDA recommends rehabilitation interventions at five strategic locations in Wajir District to mitigate a humanitarian decline if the current rains are poor, and during future dry periods. End Summary. USAID Assessment Trip ¶2. From April 14 to 17, USAID/OFDA Regional Advisor, USAID/OFDA Agriculture and Food Security Advisor, and USAID/FFP Desk Officer traveled to Garissa and Wajir districts in northeastern Kenya. USAID/OFDA partner CARE, which currently implements drought interventions in Garissa District, hosted the delegation. The team visited several boreholes and discussed the impact of the drought with affected pastoralist populations. A separate cable will present the team's findings regarding pastoralist livelihood and food security. ¶3. An estimated 60,000 pastoralists and their animals live in the part of southern Wajir District visited by the team. The area is a central transit point for pastoralists taking animals to markets and pasture in Somalia and the surrounding districts of Garissa, Isiolo, and Mandera. According to USAID-supported Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET),large numbers of cattle perished during the recent dry season and global malnutrition rates are above emergency levels. USAID is supporting general distributions to populations through the World Food Program (WFP); and health, nutrition and water assistance through partners CARE and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF). Current Situation ¶4. Rain is now falling throughout the district. Natural water points and pasture is improving, and thousands of pastoralists who previously congregated around boreholes are migrating to traditional grazing points. A good rainy season is critical for local recovery; however, migration has reduced demand for water at boreholes compared to during the dry season, meaning less operational hours on the generators and distribution systems required to pull clean water from aquifers as deep as 200 meters. ¶5. The average age of the four boreholes visited in southern Wajir is more than 20 years. All sites are still productive; however, machinery, storage tanks, and distribution systems are dilapidated, leak water, and are unhygienic. Furthermore, the local water management committees are untrained in the management and maintenance of boreholes, partly due to the fact that hitherto, theQ water resources were managed by the Ministry of Water on behalf of the communities. New GOK water legislation has transferred management of these water points to the local populations, who are technically and financially unprepared for the task. ¶6. During Kenya's dry season in the arid areas, boreholes represent the only source of water for both people and livestock. Should the rains be poor this year, demand on the wells will again spike and their ability to produce will be critical for pastoralists' survival. Humanitarian Response ¶7. The Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO) and the German Government are spending a total of 1.6 million U.S. dollars (USD) on programs to rehabilitate boreholes and their distribution systems in the northern and central parts of Wajir District. The establishment and training of local water management committees, responsible for the maintenance at each location, is a key component of these interventions. Water committees charge a user fee, which is used for maintenance and repair. ¶8. Since 1991, CARE has worked in Kenya's North Eastern Province, initially providing for Somalia refugees and then branching out to assist host communities. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2005, USAID/OFDA provided 250,000 USD to CARE for water interventions in host communities in Garissa District, south of Wajir District. With USAID/OFDA support CARE is repairing water infrastructure in eight locations in Garissa, including tanks, animal troughs, tap stands, and storage systems at schools. In addition to improving access to water, CARE is enhancing community participation and project sustainability through the training of water committees and borehole and pump attendants. ¶9. Recognizing the need for similar interventions in neighboring southern Wajir District, CARE recently submitted a proposal to USAID/OFDA to rehabilitate five existing borehole sites in Dadajabura, Habaswain, and Lagbogol locations. In several towns visited, the USAID assessment team observed people and animals sharing the same water point, raising concerns of water contamination and human diarrheal illnesses. To remedy this situation, CARE proposes to construct separate water kiosks and livestock troughs to avoid contamination. CARE's proposed activities would compliment ECHO and German government activities and ensure balanced assistance throughout the district. If approved, work would begin in May. Conclusions and Recommendations ¶10. Rainfall has begun to fall in the Wajir District, temporarily recharging pasture and natural water points. A good rainy season is essential for pastoralists and livestock to begin recovering from the previous six months of dry conditions. ¶11. Productive boreholes in Wajir District will be critical to humanitarian conditions should the current long rains fail, as well as during future dry seasons. Recovering pastoralists have few alternatives to access clean water for personal and livestock use. ¶12. Boreholes in the region have been under tremendous strain for the past six months, operating 24 hours a day due to dry season demands. Generators, pumps, control panels, and distribution infrastructure are in disrepair and dilapidated. Unless rehabilitated, they are unlikely to be productive during the next dry period. ¶13. The USAID assessment team recommends supporting projects designed to keep arid land boreholes operational and train local residents on maintenance and management of boreholes already established in the region. BELLAMY