By Matilda Atieno
As part of the climate resilience investment projects, the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) drilled a new borehole at Chemelil ward in Muhoroni subcounty to restore access to safe water for over 2,000 people in the local Chemelil community.
Access to clean water remains a major challenge as many households do not have access to clean water. Chemelil Ward is a rural and semi-urban area where the county government and community are responsible for the provision of rural water supply. The Holo community water project funded by FLLoCA included sinking of a borehole, solarization and storage and has resulted in an estimated total of more than 2,000 beneficiaries.
Following an intensive participatory climate risk assessment, the ward climate change planning committee prioritised solarised borehole as a resilient project with sites identified where water could be accessed to serve local host communities, drastically reducing how far people must travel and how long they must wait for water access.
Alongside improvements to infrastructure, the project promotes safe water use, proper sanitation and hygiene practices in the community, with local water management committee members identified and equipped with the right tools to maintain and repair their water infrastructure.
Paul Abuto, a community member, said, “I wish to thank all the partners whose invaluable contributions to the water project cannot be overstated. Today, I am a proud member of this community thanks to the completion of the new water project that is set to serve the entire community. The project included borehole drilling, installation of solar pumps, piping, fencing and the creation of a new water kiosk.”
Clean water also reduces waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and the symptoms of diarrhoea, thereby reducing medical expenses. Ultimately, this improves the health and productivity of the entire community.
“The new borehole has two taps. There is now less queueing and fewer arguments about entitlements, resulting in more peace.” stated Jackline Atieno.
Completion of the Holo water project and construction of the water kiosk have drastically improved supply to the targeted community, as well as contributing to the vision of becoming a water-secured county where every citizen has easy access to clean, adequate, affordable water, sanitation and hygiene.