Wajir county govt to supply water in drought hit areas

A herder with his livestock at a water point in Wajir County on October 11, 2016. The county government has said it will supply water to settlements around the county to mitigate the ongoing drought. PHOTO | BRUHAN MAKONG

What you need to know:

  • Members of Wajir County assembly on Monday suspended house businesses and held an emergency meeting to discuss how to mitigate the drought.
  • The county government will hire 30 water boozers that will make two trips daily to the affected settlements.
  • Areas hard hit by the drought include Wajir North, Wajir South, Wajir West and Eldas.

The Wajir County government will supply water to 60 settlements for the next 10 days in response to the severe drought ravaging the area.

Speaking to the Nation by phone, Bishar Licho, a member of the county assembly, said the county government will hire 30 water tanks that will make two trips daily to the affected settlements.

According to Mr Licho, each trip will cost Sh30,000. Health centres will also be supplied with water.

This comes weeks after Governor Ahmed Abdullahi declared the drought an emergency in the county.

Members of the Wajir County Assembly on Monday suspended house business and held an emergency meeting to discuss how to mitigate the drought.

A committee of eight members was formed last week by the Speaker after Mr Licho raised concerns about the issue.

The committee was asked to meet with executives from different departments to discuss ways of dealing with the drought.

Mr Licho added that the dry spell had hurt learning in the area since many families are pastoralists and are moving from one place to another in search of water and pastures forcing some children to drop out of school.

Mr Licho called on the national government to support local efforts by procuring more water tanks to supply more water.

He said areas hit hard by the drought include Wajir North, Wajir South, Wajir West and Eldas.

This comes weeks after the Governor Abdullahi declared the drought an emergency.

Mr Licho, however, expressed hope that rapid response could bring the situation under control because there had been no reports of livestock deaths.