As the drought situation intensifies across Mandera County with scorching temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius, the county government has embarked on a drought mitigation initiative to ameliorate the water shortage menace.
The initiative includes drilling boreholes in the hardest-hit areas, particularly Mandera West and Banissa Sub-Counties, to provide much-needed water for residents and livestock.
In Mandera West’s Burmayo area, a newly drilled and fully functional borehole is already supplying water to the community, easing the burden of water scarcity.
Meanwhile, in Banissa’s Birkan area, the county government has successfully drilled another borehole with a capacity of 8 cubic meters per hour.
The borehole is equipped with a generator, two Kettlewell troughs for livestock and a 2-kilometre pipeline extending to the Birkan centre, supplying water to businesses and serving over 2,000 households.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif, while launching the boreholes, emphasized the county government’s commitment to ensuring water accessibility for all residents.
“It is our duty as a government to provide water to our people, especially during such harsh climate conditions,” he stated.
The Governor further announced plans to establish emergency boreholes to sustain the large livestock population in the region.
“We will not stop here; we are working on more emergency boreholes to ensure that no household or livestock suffers from thirst,” he added.
Area residents expressed their gratitude for the timely intervention, acknowledging the county government’s efforts in addressing the water crisis.
“This borehole has come at the most critical time. We are grateful for this life-saving project,” Mohammed Yusuf, a resident, remarked.
The ongoing drought has severely impacted Mandera West, Banissa, and Mandera North Sub-Counties, exacerbating water shortages and putting livelihoods at risk.
With climate change intensifying the effects of drought in the region, the county government continues to prioritise water access as a crucial part of its mitigation strategy.
By Adan Mohamed
