Kenya’s water towers are rapidly drying up, raising alarm over the future of the country’s water resources.
Richard Walukano, a water expert, attributes this crisis to widespread deforestation, which he believes has led to the drying up of water sources that once provided clean water to residents.
Walukano, who led the Kenya-Finland Corporation project responsible for drilling boreholes, warns that without urgent reforestation efforts, the situation could worsen.
Communities in Mount Elgon are also feeling the impact, with natural springs that once sustained them now drastically reduced during dry seasons.
‘Mt Elgon supports over one million people in Bungoma who rely on it as their major source of water. However, boreholes and springs are drying up and very soon we will have a serious water shortage in the county’- George Wara, Bungoma County Conservator.
According to the Nile Basin Initiative, protecting surface water systems such as forests and wetlands is vital for sustaining groundwater resources.
The initiative is currently working on cross-border projects, including the preservation of the Mt. Elgon aquifer shared between Kenya and Uganda, to address these pressing challenges and secure water resources for future generations.
Until recently, the thought of not having a steady supply of water from the numerous streams and springs that criss-cross Bungoma county seemed far-fetched, but this is now the sad reality lived by its residents.
Judith Chebet, a Bungoma resident is yet to come to terms with how the water situation has morphed right before her eyes.
As a child, she recounted how she would easily fetch water from a nearby river.
But until a few months ago, she had to walk for a longer distance to get to the major rivers to wash her clothes, bathe then eventually draw some and take home for drinking and cooking.
This situation has however changed a water point where groundwater is pumped and locals can fill their jerrycans from the perennially flowing taps.
“In truth, we have destroyed our environment. Over the years, trees have been felled without regulation and we are now seeing the effects. Most of the streams and springs have dried up. I ask the government to come and talk to our people and help us plant more trees,” Chebet calls.
Mount Elgon water tower
Mt Elgon covers approximately 50,500 hectares, with only 2,000 hectares being plantation, while the rest is natural forest.
“Mt Elgon supports over one million people in Bungoma who rely on it as their major source of water. However, boreholes and springs are drying up and very soon we will have a serious water shortage in the county,” notes George Wara, Bungoma County Conservator.
A recent study by the Kenya Forest Service revealed that out of the 45 permanent rivers that flow from Mt Kenya in 1972, only ten are still permanent, with the rest being turned to seasonal rivers due to reduced volumes of water.
“We need to plant more trees so that we improve on the water recharge to the downstream. We need to do a lot of planting in Mt Elgon,” he says.
Richard Walukana, a member of the Bukusu Elders Council, calls on the government to consider deploying forest guards to protect the forest to save the situation.
With Mt Elgon being a key area that supplies water to the Cherangany Hills, Walukana says the destruction of the forest in the mountain will result in dire consequences.
“The effect is very huge. If we do not get water to feed Lake Victoria, where will the Nile get its water from? This does not just affect Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, it will affect several African countries,” he notes.
A local resident, Fred Ndiwa admits that since the locals began felling trees uncontrollably, not only have streams dried up, but also the water table has gone lower.
“We are very worried. The majority of our boreholes are running dry because the water table is going down. We risk turning this area into a desert,” he says.
Deteriorating water quality
Recent studies conducted by geological and hydrological experts show that water quality is a matter of a major concern in the region, with pollution coming from multiple sources such as agriculture, households, livestock, industry/mining, among others
Some shallow wells are already polluted but the baseline groundwater quality in the Mount Elgon aquifer is generally still good.
Nevertheless, urgent measures are required in order to mitigate further deterioration.
Poor sanitation, including lack of latrines in rural- and sewage systems in urban areas, is a huge threat to water quality.
The prime pollution recipients are rivers, leading to increased abstraction of groundwater. Since surface- and groundwater are often hydraulically connected, some pollutants eventually reach the aquifer as well.
Walokana believes that every Kenyan should contribute towards preservation of riparian land, plant more trees and that the government should ensure protection of water towers.
“Climate Change is a wakeup call to the world. We have misused the natural resource that God gave us with a reason. Trees were given to protect those rivers that we have destroyed. We cannot put the clock back. We need to act now,” he says.
Vincent Mahiva, the County Officer for National Environment Management Authority in Bungoma explained that deforestation affects underground water especially around mountainous and hilly areas.
Forests, he said, help in the seepage of water as they soak the water when it rains and reduces evaporation. The roots of trees act as the entry points of this water into the underground.
“Re-afforestation is something we are doing to conserve this important ecosystem not just in Bungoma but the entire Nile Basin. There will be a big challenge in the region especially with desertification coming very fast from the North,” he says.
This story was produced with support from NBI Secretariat (Nile-Sec), which, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented a program across the Nile Basin focused on shared groundwater aquifers. The project’s goal was to improve water resource management at both the national and basin levels.
The first phase concentrated on building knowledge and capacity for the sustainable use and management of significant transboundary aquifers within the Nile Basin. Three aquifer areas were selected for intervention: the Kagera aquifer shared by Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi; the Mt Elgon aquifer shared by Uganda and Kenya; and the Gedaref-Adigrat aquifer shared by Sudan and Ethiopia. These aquifers are located in various climates, including arid, semi-arid, and tropical regions.
Initially, the phase involved gathering existing data and creating a Shared Aquifer Diagnostic Report (SADA) for the three selected aquifers. The subsequent phase engaged in groundwater modeling to enhance understanding of the aquifers and analyze scenarios based on changes in climate and groundwater use.
