WORLD WATER DAY Essay Writing Competition
With a population of 53 million, approximately 28 million Kenyans lack access to safe water and 41 million lack access to improved sanitation. Growing water demand and water scarcity have turned into a notable challenge. In honor of World Water Day, a day dedicated to accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis, The Leo Project and partner organizations - El Karama, Policy Pathways Institute and Laikipia Wildlife Forum - hosted our second environmental essay writing competition. In 1000 words or less, entrants were asked to describe the current water crisis in Laikipia County and key approaches that can be implemented to mitigate the impacts. The goal of the competition was to raise awareness about the importance of water resources and inspire people to take action towards a sustainable future.
The winning essays are included below. All were announced at last week’s Climate Anxiety panel discussion. The Leo Project brought together local experts to candidly discuss the psychological response to the threat of climate change.
LAIKIPIA’S WATER STRESS
Cleansing. Dignity. Source of life. Survival. These are the terms I would use when asked to give an acute description of water to me- and the rest of humanity. Slithering down one’s throat, one can almost touch it’s pure & sacred nature. We are made anew each morning as we stand under our showerheads, for some- a bucket of cold water does just fine .A cistern full of water lets you sit at ease while the visitor uses the powder room. And when the baby can’t keep her food down, a little sugar and salt in warm water keeps the youngin’ afloat till the stomach bout passes. That’s the power of water.
Born and raised in Laikipia, I can attest that if there is land that could come close to the Garden of Eden, Nanyuki is it. Since time immemorial, Mwene Nyaga has looked down upon us from Mount Kenya, feeding his children the sweetest of produce and the freshest of air & water. I am a farmer’s daughter. Most of our time is spent around orange trees and plants of all kind. Our livelihood is dependent on what is reaped each year. Months leading to 2023 have been quite difficult. Late December found us mulching next season’s harvest, lest the heat dried all the fruits up.
“Times are tough.The taps and rivers have dried up. This is the worst drought in Laikipia in the last 40 years.” My father answers when I ask him of the current water situation in the area. “ Do you know the number 40 has a biblical meaning? Maybe Laikipians should travel to Mount Kenya to pray to our God and creator.” He adds hopefully.
According to World Vision, the global water crisis leaves about 785 million people without access to clean and adequate drinking water. This can be reffered to as water stress, a term that accurately describes the situation that arises when there is no enough water to meet the demand. In Laikipia, about 183,000 people are facing starvation due to the drought in the area. The main cause of the recurring droughts is the long failed rain seasons that have rocked the entire Laikipia and its counterpart areas. A report by the Kenya Wildlife Service and other bodies revealed that 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 205 elephants, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras and 12 giraffes had been reported dead due to the drought by November, 2022. Inter-communal conflicts around water have increasingly graced the headlines as
herders compete for water sources. That’s not all, cases of human-wildlife conflicts are on the rise due to the changes in land use and the climate. Elephants in particular have been travelling much further than they typically do in search of water and grass.
The County Government of Laikipia is currently trying to mitigate the impact of this impending doom. One of their successful efforts include providing drought support to vulnerable and underserved communities by increasing the number of water storage tanks and boreholes in areas such as Baraka and Reli B. They have also deployed four water bowsers to the most critical areas in Laikipia North, Laikipia East and Laikipia West. A rationing schedule was also created to ensure equitable sharing of the available water among every Laikipian. Additionally, the county government is encouraging homeowners to take responsibility for their own water security by installing storage tanks and using water efficiently.
Preparedness is key. This is one factor that Kenya greatly fails at. Instead of building on proper anticipatory and risk preventive line of actions, we often scramble for last-minute, reactive crisis management approaches. The Kenyan government needs to restrategize its emergency response to calamities starting from the county level. One of the ways is by increasing water conservation efforts in the community by disseminating accurate information that aim to promote consumption and lifestyle change from the individual level. By encouraging residents to recycle water, incorporate rainwater and monitor their water use, more water can be conserved to be used by people, plants and wildlife when a drought occurs. Protecting the quality of water and its sources is also an important step in curbing the risk of drought. This information can also be passed on to home owners, business and manufacturing facilities to avoid water pollution.
Farmers can mitigate the impacts of drought by embracing efficient crop production technologies such as fertility management, conversation tillage and use of drough-tolerant and early maturing seeds. The governments, both county and nation, should strive to build community resilience for sustainability, and improve the affected environments so as to attract investments. This will in turn promote sustainable growth and development in these areas.
Finally, in response to the rising numbers of human-wildlife conflict, the government should strive to foster good relations with the local communities. This will prevent any violent confrontations that may occur. The Government should also seek to equip pastoralists with livestock management systems to support adaptation to climate change.
There is no telling how the year will proceed from here. All we can do brave the tough times together and hope for a better future.
By Winnie Kithome
VALUING AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE
Recognising how valuable water is before there isnt enough of it
Although it is common knowledge that water fills 97% of the earth's surface, this does not necessarily imply that the planet is 97% water. Only 2.5% of water found on earth is freshwater which is about 35 000 000 km3; good, right? Wrong! 68.9% of all fresh water on earth is locked away in glaciers and permanent snow cover, and 30.8% is hidden in groundwater, including soil moisture, swamp water and permafrost. Only 0.3% of all freshwater on earth is found in rivers, and lake storage and hence is easily accessible to the billions of organisms that depend on freshwater.
Unfortunately, surface freshwater resources are spread differently across the globe. Most of the world's surface freshwater supplies are in Brazil, Russia, Canada, Indonesia, China, Colombia, and the United States. Due to this, about one-fifth of the world's population resides in areas with a shortage of water, where each resident gets less than 1,000 cubic meters of water annually on average.
The effects of climate change have caused a prolonged severe drought and irregular and unpredicted rainfall patterns, particularly in Laikipia County. Some areas in Northern Laikipia have not received rainfall in years. The availability of safe, useable water for people as a human right, as well as the geopolitics and economic growth of Laikipia and Kenya as a whole, are all impacted by this water shortage. Freshwater demand is also rising despite the fact that it is distributed and accessible inequitably. Water is necessary for people, organisations and businesses, leisure activities, sanitation and waste management, travel, wildlife and the environment.
One of the greatest challenges we face in Laikipia County is the unsustainable utilisation of freshwater resources. One such way is the utilisation by farmers upstream in farming water-intensive crops such as maise and pasture. In areas like Naibor, Jua Kali, Maramoja and Mukima, we have large and small-scale farmers who utilise water from Timau and Nanyuki Rivers. Due to the low rainfall in the region, farmers are forced to use irrigation methods. The most common irrigation practice in the region is flooding irrigation. This is where large volumes of water are left to pour on the land. This method is ineffective as large volumes of water are lost to evaporation, and little control of water is actually supplied to the crops. Research shows that one such farm that practices flooding irrigation utilises over 146,292 litres of scarce water weekly across one acre of land.
Once there is so much uptake of a scarce resource upstream (Juakali, Naibor regions), very little to nothing is left downstream(Kimanjo, Il motiok regions). These regions are primarily inhabited by pastoralists and wildlife. This forces wildlife to come upstream in search of water, hence crop raiding and destroying property along their paths. Recently, there have been reports of elephants breaking into water tanks just to access water to drink as the rivers downstream, and water pans have dried up. Laikipia residents have also witnessed the rise of pastoralists moving with their herds upstream in search of water and pasture for their livestock. The worst part in all of this is that the true cost of water is not reflected in the final price of the produce.
In Laikipia County, water is treated and priced like there will always be enough of it. As per my last water bill, Nanyuki Water and Sewerage Company charged KES 144.5 per 1,000 litres. With such low costs for an invaluable resource, we end up using it in absurdly wasteful ways. Let the water use reflect its value as well so as not to infringe on basic human rights. For example, water for basic needs should not carry the same price as water used in maintaining a golf course/recreational use.
Education and awareness go a long way in helping people realise that our fates are tied to what rushes out of our taps. One great example is Cape Town, South Africa, which was on its way to becoming one of the first major city in the world to run out of water and indefinitely shut down its water supply. The city had a countdown timer dubbed Day Zero when the city would have to shut down most water taps, and over 4 million people would stop getting running water and would have to line up at the city water station for their rations. Day Zero was first scheduled for March 2018, but due to the awareness and education over the looming crisis, people started conserving water. Due to conservation efforts, awareness and education, Cape Town's water consumption was less than half what it had been over the previous four years and Day Zero was paused indefinitely.
I firmly believe most residents of Laikipia are not aware of the current water crisis that is ravaging the county. For them, as long as the tap still runs, then they are not affected. Increasing education and awareness campaigns, especially for the most significant water consumers, will inspire a course of action. This coupled with policies that protect and enable the sustainble utilisation of fresh water will aid in enhancing water security.
In conclusion, water is an invaluable resource that cannot be taken for granted as we do the air we breathe. Infact if circumstances remain as they are most of the world will not have enough water to meet demand year-round by 2040. Hence, it is upon each one of us, each individual effort to give our rivers and our sources of fresh water their trickle back.
For thousands have lived without love but none without water - W.H AUDEN.
By Idah Kananu Murithi
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT WATER CRISIS IN LAIKIPIA COUNTY AND RECOMMENDED APPROACHES TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS
Introduction
Laikipia county falls in the category of Arid & Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS) with a climate vulnerability index of 0.3841. Over the past 4 decades, the county has experienced decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperatures, with droughts occurring every 2-3 years. The Ewaso Nyiro North basin is the main water source for the county and its tributaries are sourced from Mt.Kenya and Aberdares ranges. Only 29.6% of Laikipia residents have access to piped water and 65% to potable water. The county has an annual rainfall range that varies between 500-800mm but the figure is slightly lower in the drier parts of Mukogodo and Rumuruti. Some of the factors that are aggravating water crisis in Laikipia are; climate change, water pollution, encroachment of riparian lands, increased population and mismanagement of water resources. As a result of the water crisis, socio-economic activities and food security is affected.
Impacts of Water Crisis in Laikipia County
Conflict between upstream and downstream communities.
Farmers and pastoralists are the largest water users with large-scale irrigation farms taking the lion’s share. There is unequal access of water which has led to mistrust and hatred among inter ethnic groups. In February 2023, residents of Ngareng’iro in Laikipia East threatened to storm upstream River Ewaso Nyiro to destroy intakes of farmers which were preventing rivers from flowing downstream thus causing water shortage. The residents also accuse the Water Resources Authority for non-action which highlights the possible incompetence of governing bodies.
Poor sanitation and hygiene
Poor sanitation poses health risk of diarrhoeal diseases especially cholera, typhoid and intestinal worm infections. Most affected are the low-income and highly populated areas of Manguo, Majengo, Likii, Luonienk and Kia-Maina slums.
Food Insecurity
Agriculture and livestock are the main sources of livelihood in Laikipia county, contributing over 75% of household incomes. Farmers in the county rely on rain-fed agriculture making them more vulnerable in the water crisis. In recent years, climatic hazards of drought and moisture stress cause uncertainty in the onset and duration of agricultural seasons which has led to significant food production losses and food insecurity. It is estimated that 27.2% of Laikipia’s population relies on food aid during the frequent shortages.
Recommendations to Mitigate the Impacts
Sustainable management practices. There is poor coordination between the concerned county institutions (County government, NAWASCO, NYAHUWASCO) which is undermining the adaptive capacity of communities. All key players and stakeholders should be involved and have well defined roles to enhance coordination. Other factors affecting the operation of these key agencies are; conflicting programs and policies and overlapping mandates which affect adaptation efforts. The county government should prioritize partnering with relevant institutions such as; NEMA, CETRAD, ENNDA, KFS, WRMA to improve the resilience of communities in water risk management.
Improving rain-fed production through water harvesting and sustainable water use practices. The potential of achieving food security and eliminating water crisis depends strongly on rainfall patterns and distribution. In Laikipia, rainwater harvesting with reduce risk and increase food production. We can focus on the following three forms of water harvesting i.) using microstructure in the fields to in situ water conservation ii.) flood water harvesting which involves capture of external water and directing it from the catchment area to the farms and iii.) collecting water in catchment areas and storing it in reservoirs and other storage structures for use during the dry seasons
Improve the efficiency of water resources. Most of the rivers in Laikipia county especially in urban areas have become highly polluted, making the water unsafe for human use. The county government in conjunction with Laikipia water companies should rehabilitate urban water distribution networks and treatment systems. This move will reduce water leakage and contamination and additionally promote wastewater reuse for domestic and agricultural reuse. Most importantly, it will ensure groundwater that is vital for future use is protected from contamination.
Expand technological capacity to ensure climate resilience. The importance of groundwater is currently being realized since most river sources are permanently drying up. Therefore, water agencies should support and develop climate-resilient water sources and advance water storage through small-scale retention structures. These include; recharging aquifers by pumping water into underground reserves to improve its quality and rain water harvesting. Solar is in plenty in Laikipia county and we should move into utilizing solar-powered water networks to save on power costs and ensure sutainability.
Promoting community advocacy. There are several NGOs, CBOs and social groups in Nanyuki which conduct important community work in Laikipia, including community advocacy. They should continue working with communities and schools to promote the understanding of the value of water and how to protect our fragile water resources. By teaching school children these values, it improves chances of protecting water resources in future because they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Conclusion
We appreciate the deliberate efforts by various stakeholders in Laikipia to reduce the impacts of extreme weather events and avert the disastrous impacts of climate change. However, we must identify and implement long-lasting strategies to build resilience against water crisis. This will ensure food security, sustainable development and reduce water related conflicts that are currently the norm in Laikipia County.
By Mona Kendi