Earth dam keeps community alive despite severe, lengthy drought

Goats quenching thirst at the rehabilitated Kaliwa Kasyungemi earth dam in Mwingi. [Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard]

Through the project, the government seeks to address constraints affecting communities such as low use of agricultural inputs, frequent droughts and climate variability.

Other factors are poor soils, low levels of private investment in the primary production, value addition and poor rural infrastructure, such as small-scale irrigation, roads, marketing and storage.

Antony Muthengi, Chairperson of Kaliwa Kasyungemi earth dam says through the NARIGP project, a group of 30 community members discussed and wrote a proposal for the dam.

"Being in an arid area, accessing water was our immediate challenge. So we asked NARIGP to rehabilitate and provide us with water which we could also use in farming," he says.

The NARIGP project helped rehabilitate the area by digging an earth dam, erecting a wired fence around a gate to prevent water contamination from livestock urine and droppings.

It also provided huge tanks, where the water from the dam is first piped before is released into troughs for livestock and taps where people fetch it. They also built toilets.

Titus Makau, Chief of Mutanda Location says the rehabilitated dam was a godsend as it has solved issues of water his community faced.

He says unlike other areas where livestock have succumbed to the current drought, no one in his community has lost a single animal.

"For many years, we suffered a lot and lost livestock to droughts. However, the dam has been of great help and in this area we are yet to lose even a single livestock, despite missing rain for four consecutive seasons," said Chief Makau.

"In fact, if you look at our livestock, they are very healthy despite us experiencing the worst every prolonged drought in this area," he added.

The government, through the National Drought Management Authority warned that the drought was critical in 20 of the 23 ASAL counties in November last year. Kitui, where Kaliwa Kasyungemi earth dam is located, is one of 13 counties NDMA says is in Alarm drought phase.

Others are Taita Taveta, Isiolo, Kilifi, Kwale, Samburu, Turkana, Wajir, Kajiado, Mandera, Garissa, Tana River and Marsabit.

Availability of water has enabled residents venture into farming of vegetables which they consume at household level and the surplus is sold.

Joseph Mwendwa, secretary of the group says that for maintenance of the earth dam, community members pay a Sh100 one-off fee. In addition, those with livestock pay Sh50 every month to use the facility.

"Community members welcomed the idea and have been paying. They understand that if they don't pay for maintenance, we will lose the water and go back to the challenges we faced before," he says.

While water from the dam is used for domestic purposes, feeding livestock and farming, plans are underway to make it clean and safe for drinking too.