LETTERS: Enhance capacity in tackling water challenge

Kenya is a water scarce country hence the need for every effort to be put towards its presentation and efficient use absence of which will trigger resource based conflicts. Water shortage will most likely trigger conflicts in 21st century according to a World Bank report of 1995.

The report further observed that already 40 per cent of the world's population in 80 poor countries were facing chronic water shortages.

The situation was set to get worse with expanding population, increased water demands and effects of climate change. Government support to community groupings to affordable water for all in realising the National Water Service Strategy 2007-15 and now vision 2030 has been resolute.

Water act number 8 of 2002 is clear on establishment and role of Water Resource Users’ Association-(WRUA) as an association of water users, riparian land owners, or other stakeholders who have formally and voluntarily associated for the purposes of co-operatively sharing, managing and conserving a common water resource.

Community’s organisations registered with department of social services as self-help groups (SHG) or community based organisations (CBOs) and engaging in water abstraction and circulation within group members are required to subscribe to WRUA’s guidelines.

Most water projects are run by management committee, elected by group members as guided by respective group constitutions.

Their role is to oversee day to day project operations, service delivery and solicit for support from government and or partners in case of expansion. Individual member pays monthly subscription fee for group’s operations and sustainability. Capacity building is a continuous exercise in case of outside support.

This way, ownership and programs sustainability get enhanced. Also, communities get involved in programs management, right from inception, call for proposals, action planning, design formulation, implementation and operationalization.

Before then, such SHG/CBOs are required to clear with WRMA and the Kenya Forestry Service(KFS( (for structures within forest precincts) in yearly fees. Further, a metering solutions must be in place at the project intake.

Again, group members have over time accumulated man hours of communal work based on their participation in project activities.

Such communal works are in the form of bush clearing, trenching, pipe lying, backfilling etcetera.

The concept of community participation reinforces their voice and opinion in decision making. By so doing, community management committees have been tested as a practical model to projects management in rural areas.

The model has succeeded in enhancing cost sharing, cohesiveness, decision making, reduced implementation costs, accountability, transparency and openness in management of community programmes. Such community establishments should be safeguarded and not marked for destruction. Any policy approach advocating the latter is a furtherance of destitution to majority poor against effects of drought and climate change.

By cutting-off water supply, livelihoods from irrigated farms will be lost. Further, women and girls, will have to bear the burden of walking for longer distances in fulfilling their practical gender roles as water providers for domestic use.

Deprived of a steady water source, rural economies will be unable to supports livelihoods hence weakening communities’ resilience to effects of drought and climate change.

Kiragu Kariuki, Nyeri County.