High cost of providing water for domestic use and livestock in Damasa village of Mandera County has been a financial burden to the poverty stricken community. For years, the local community has relied on one borehole as the only permanent source of water, which rarely is supplemented by an earth pan during rainy season.
Previously a diesel-fueled generator was used to power the water pump consuming about 30 litres of diesel a day. Fueling and maintenance of the generator constituted approximately 70% of the cost of operating the borehole; making it the water too expensive for the residents especially during drought when their main source of livelihood; pastoralism is disrupted.
In an effort to offer a more sustainable solution to the high cost of water provision in the region, Nomadic Assistant for Peace and Development (NAPAD), a local non governmental organization through Act!’s Changieni Rasili Mali (CRM) Facility funded by the Embassy of Sweden and UKaid; initiated the process of promoting climate change adaptive technologies by installing solar energy system to power the borehole pump and ensure reliable supply of affordable water to the residents.
Since the installation of the hybrid power system, the community of Damasa village now has easy access to adequate and affordable water for their domestic use and livestock. They now enjoy reduced water tariffs, which have freed household resources that could have otherwise been used for water for other needs such as paying schools fees or investment in business.
