Mapping and Characterizing Water Points in Mbeti South Location, Mbeere District.

Abstract

Water as a resource is critical to all forms of life in addition to supporting economic development of many nations. In Kenya, water is important because it supports agricultural development, power generation, industrial growth, livestock development, recreation and sports among other services. However, water availability has over the years has been declining and it is estimated that the trend will continue unless drastic measures are taken to counter the situation. The Ministry only oversees the whole water sector through policy formulation, coordination and resource mobilization. To evaluate the effectiveness of the reforms in enhancing water delivery, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) contracted CETRAD to map and characterise all the water points in Mbeti South location in Mbeere District which falls under the Tana Water Service Board. The location was selected and agreed upon between CETRAD and the client. Based on the provided Terms of Reference, CETRAD organized field visits to map the spatial distribution of water points using GPS technology. Interviews and consultations were also carried out with water point owners, Ministry of Water and Irrigation officials in the district, management of group owned water points, and other key resource persons with the aim of gathering information about the water points. Through the study it became evident that the population in Mbeti South location obtains water from a variety of sources. A total of 610 water points were mapped and they include springs, shallow wells, boreholes, piped installations, earth and concrete dams, river abstractions and water tanks. Using GIS technology, the distribution maps of these water points were generated and it emerged that the distribution is skewed with the upper region (northern and north-eastern) being well served than the other parts of the location. Possible reasons for the skewed distribution are that the upper zone has high population density as a result of immigration from the neighbouring districts and this creates high demand for water; and that the soils are relatively favourable for agriculture but limited by water scarcity. The later drives the farm owners to invest in water development such as shallow wells. Similarly, the zone is in proximity to Embu district and has benefited from the piped water system supplied by EWASCO. From the 610 water points mapped, detailed information through interviews and discussions was only obtained for 549 of the water points. This information was included in the analysis while the rest, mainly river abstractions, was excluded. The results indicated that shallow wells are the majority (63.4%) followed by piped installations (22.6%). Most water points (64.7%) existed for more than a year before the study was carried. Analysis further showed there has been an increase in the number of water points constructed or implemented over the years from 1980s with the greatest increase being witnessed after the year 2000. Partly this is attributed to the water reforms in the sense that individuals have taken up the challenge of participating in water development as provided in the reforms. Of the 549 water points, only 38.1% are registered with the District Water Office while the rest are not. Similarly, only 22.2% are metered for the purpose of controlling use and applies to piped installations by EWASCO. Therefore, control on use or misuse of water cannot be effectively enforced in the current status. This also means that a lot of potential revenue that could be generated through water sales is lost. The mode of abstraction varied with the type of water point in question and included powered pumping, hand pumping, use of hand operated systems, piped taps, pulling using rope and bucket, and use of cans and buckets for surface water sources. However, since most water points (68%) derived their water from below ground aquifers (through boreholes and wells) the pull system using bucket and rope was the most common (45.4%). This was followed by piped taps (23.7%). All in all it emerged that the abstraction methods currently employed are manual in nature and would be a hindrance to water access for women, children and the aged who might not be able to operate the manual systems effectively. Based on average figures of water abstracted from the various types of water points, the study established that the highest volume of water is abstracted from river Rupingazi using portable pumps and used for irrigation purposes. Similarly, there is high abstraction from boreholes, earth dams and springs owing to their use by groups of people. This is unlike the piped installations used by one or a few households, and whose use is regulated through user costs. In terms of ownership, 86% of the water points are privately owned while 5.8% are group owned and managed through committees. For the privately owned ones, 76.9% are in households headed by men implying that men are much more likely to influence decisions on water development than women. An assessment on the location of water points showed that 62.7% are in agricultural fields and 24.8% in homesteads suggesting that agricultural production through irrigation is a major drive behind water points’ interventions. It also emerged that the high incidence of private ownership and location in agricultural fields could be limiting factors to water access by the public. Most water points (80%) were operational by the time of spot check and interviews revealed that 58% of them usually have water throughout the year. By the time of spot check 89.6% had water but at varying quantities. Despite the water availability, which implies that water could be accessed in most water points by then, there is the challenge of travelling for it since it is collected at source in 91% of the cases due to lack of distribution systems. The main uses of obtained water are domestic; livestock watering and irrigation but these vary from one water point to the other. Women appear to be the major beneficiaries of these water points based on their numbers in the location. However, due to associated financial requirements through membership or the need to pay for the bills, the study cannot rule out the possibility of financially disadvantaged households being denied access to water. This is especially so for the unemployed, the old and single women households with limited financial sources. Measures are therefore required to invest in supply systems that would enhance affordability by such groups, if not at no cost. It also emerged that Mbeti South location does not have an elaborate sewerage system. Instead households commonly use pit latrines (permanent/semi-permanent). Interviews revealed that 74% of the households own one and it is therefore deducible that there is proper waste disposal which reduces the chances of water points’ contamination through overland flow of waste. However, there is need to consider the siting of latrines in relation to wells to minimise incidences of possible ground water contamination through leakage of effluents.Funding for the water points is/was derived from a variety of sources: donor agencies, government, CDF, community, church and private funding. However, majority (84%) of the water points are privately funded, which also implies that the management is vested in such individuals or households. Management committees exist in 4.9% of the group owed water points. The composition of the committee comprises both males and females, which illustrate the gender representation in water management. The average number of females in the committees was however high (6) than that of men (4) because women are highly associated with water issues.Based on cleanliness, protection, and the operationalisation of the drawing system most water points can be classified as fairly managed (48%). 80% of them provide clean and non-saline water that can be assumed to be fit for human needs. Nevertheless, appropriate protection is required especially for the wells to avoid pollution or contamination through dust and overland flow as it emerged that most water users do not treat it before use. These study findings elicit various policy interventions and the need for further research. The study recommends the need to determine the recharge rate of ground water aquifers in order to guide the development of wells for sustainable water provision; mobilising people and sensitising them on the best practices for water management and use; ensuring water sources are legal and metered to facilitate efficient use, minimise wastage and raise revenue for enhancing water resources development; investing in more friendly water drawing systems to enable women and children access water with ease; investing in more public water points to supply affordable water to all with minimal cost especially in consideration of the financially disadvantaged groups; enhancing water storage and distribution to reduce distances travelled in search of water; and sensitising the community on water sources management, protection and effective waste disposal to avoid contamination, possible disease outbreaks and accidents.