Water for Wildlife and Community
There is an existing borehole in the conservancy. According to the County Water Engineer, it will provide plenty of water, but only for 8 or 9 months of the year but during the driest months, the top water table dries out. We have identified a central location to store and distribute water to both the wildlife and the local community. The local community’s biggest and most urgent need is clean water. This project will be to fit the needed submersible solar powered pump to bring the water to the surface, dig a trench 1.5meters deep (otherwise the elephants dig up the pipes) and 950 meters long, through thick bush, to the central distribution point.
As explained above, the borehole water will be seasonal and cannot be relied on 12 months of the year or in years of drought. Therefore, it is important to make a hybrid water system with inflows from various sources. The Mzima Springs to Mombasa pipeline passes 7.7 kilometers from our central water distribution point therefore this phase would be to connect our own take-off pipe from the pipeline. It is a major task and will involve clearing of 7.7 kilometers of thick bush. This same clearing can later be used as a patrol track.
The single most important and urgent need for our local community at present, is clean water. This project will involve installing 4 kilometers of water pipeline to the community bordering the conservancy. It will dramatically improve the lives of the people and create a lot of goodwill towards conservation and in particular our project.
The local community outside of the conservancy
Once per week there are 4500 liters of water delivered to the community with the bowser (water truck).
If we do not supply the water, women and children will have to walk up to 7kms to fetch water from sources that are not very clean as they are used by livestock as well. The water is also mostly saline and as a result bilharzia and dysentery are common amongst the community.
The total cost to purchase and deliver the water to the community is $72 per trip.
Waterholes for the wildlife
