By Caroline Wambui
MUKURWEINI, Kenya, Jan 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – In parts of Kenya along the Tana River, heavy rainfall has long brought inundation, landslides and losses of homes and property.
But last year’s heavy rains brought less destruction for an unexpected reason: Drought-hit areas further upstream have improved their water storage capacity, and are now capturing more of what once rushed downstream.
“Water harvesting actually helps reduce the impacts of flooding, saving the communities from unexpected risks,” said Hussein Idhoro, drought coordinator for upstream Tharaka Nithi County.
In the catchment of the Tana River, the partially government-funded Upper Tana Natural Resources Management Project has since 2012 given financial and technical support for the construction of rainwater harvesting dams that today hold up to 100 million litres of water.
The project also has established nearly 325 roof-top water harvesting systems at schools and farms within the catchment, said James Maina, a sub-regional manager at the national Water Resources Management Authority.
The Mukurweini Technical Training Institute, for instance, in early 2019 constructed a small reservoir capable of storing 3,000 cubic metres of water for sanitary use and for irrigation of farm plots on its campus.
In past years, “we had constant conflicts with our neighbours living downstream as the floodwaters swept their homes and property”, said the institution’s principal, Patrick Muchemi.
But these days the school’s water storage capacity has reduced that problem, and also cut erosion from flowing water on the campus’ own land.
