Globally, People experience extreme water scarcity that prevent them from getting the water they so desperately need. This scarcity often has to do with geographical location and cleanliness. It’s one thing to say there’s no water in Africa, but it’s another thing entirely to see the numbers and statistics that prove it.
Sub Saharan Africa is area of greatest concern on the continent and hosts the most critical rural communities that desperately need access to clean drinking water. Groundwater is the major source of water in Africa, especially rural Africa, and it has the benefit of being naturally protected from bacterial contamination and is a reliable source during droughts.
However, the high costs associated with drilling for water, and the technical challenges in finding sources that are large enough to serve the population in need, present challenges that limit tapping the resource. As a result, many communities have opted for naturally existing and nearby rivers as an immediate source of water which are however prone to challenges including erosion, degradation, cars and motor cycle washing especially in rivers passing through urban areas, clothes washing and unplanned agricultural practices along the river. All these factors contribute to poor quality and quantity of water in rivers.
Surface water do not assure quality of water received and used since they are highly exposed thus poses risk to water borne and water related diseases, and thus, leads to water insecurities. According to the UN Water, Water Security means the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability’. For us to meet this, its time we look at the protection of ecosystem such as rivers and springs since they are the major sources of water in the rural communities. Women and girls bear the greatest brunt of water related access constraints because they spent a lot of time fetching water and this also exposes them to health and safety risks.
Consequently, with actions taken to cope such challenges, so much focus is being projected to major rivers, leaving behind the most affected small rivers and tributaries that feed these communities. Protecting rivers/ springs simply means a child is saved from diarrheal diseases, girls go to school because there is plenty of water nearby, women cook for their families and no life is lost due to hunger or water related diseases. It is time we start looking at the bigger picture, the value of a river/ecosystem and its economic importance of rivers.
The question is, how do we protect these rivers?
My initiative, Sustainably Tapping into ecosystems is a project that seeks to use rivers to create sustainable livelihoods and at the same time protecting and rehabilitating Rivers. The pilot phase of the project is in Nyangores river, Bomet County, Rift Valley, Kenya. This river is the major source of water in Bomet County such that when it dries, people walk for many KM to find water elsewhere. It is also the blood life of Mara ecosystem as it flows to the Mara river. The project will primarily focus on producing a wide array of bamboo products that will mostly use bamboo that will be planted along select parts of river banks. Bamboo belongs to grass species and it is one of the most effective plant in conserving water, soil and the entire riverine environment. It does not only ensure sustainable quantity of water but also enhances the quality of water in various ways including reduction in erosion along the banks. The secondary focus of the project will be cage fishing in parts of rivers that are deep and wide enough. This will enhance nutrition aspects. This is my fight against naturals calamities such as floods, droughts and water related diseases; to Sustainable Tap into Natural Resources.