Workers at one the sites where underground water reservoir was discovered in Lotikipi, Turkana. PHOTO | FILE
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Water CS Eugene Wamalwa says the second aquifer is difficult to exploit because its potential needs to be established before setting up the means to utilise it.
The government is set to spend Sh5.2 billion in the coming two to three years in establishing the extent of the usable water available in a second aquifer discovered in Turkana County.
Water Cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa said the first aquifer is currently being used within the county, but the second one — called Lotikipi aquifer — was a more difficult one to exploit because its potential needed to be established before setting up the means to utilise it.
In an interview on the sidelines of a climate change meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark last week, Mr Wamalwa said the feasibility studies would also involve looking at other areas in Kenya where usable water can be found.
The government has secured partnerships with organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the GIZ of Germany so as to provide advisory services and finance the feasibility studies on the aquifer before its exploitation.
The Ministry of Water is also looking for resources from its traditional partners such as the AfDB and the World Bank, the minister said.
“We have a lot of untapped ground water, and that is why we are looking to exploit it. It involves studies and partnerships and we need about Sh5.2 billion for this,’’ said Mr Wamalwa.
The minister was among the high-level government and private sector officials attending the climate change conference held under the auspices of the Global Green Growth Forum (3G), an initiative of the Danish government in collaboration with several countries including Kenya, China, South Korea and Vietnam.
The minister said the national government was collaborating with the Turkana County government in the development of water resources in the region.
The ongoing efforts to expand the exploitation of water throughout Kenya would, however, involve more county governments, he added.
The minister said among the reasons for the challenges with the Lotikipi aquifer was that it was salty, though some drilled boreholes had indicated there were chances of fresh water being found. Salty water would need to be desalinated before being used.
During a press conference held in Copenhagen, Kenya Association of Manufacturers chief executive Phyllis Wakiaga said the private sector was currently conducting water efficiency audits, but was also interested in scaling up the exercise.
“We have 20 to 30 per cent water loss and what we need is the right technology and financing models to prevent this,’’ said Ms Wakiaga.
Addressing the same press conference consumer goods manufacturer BIDCO chief executive Vimal Shah, who was representing the private sector, said there was enough water in the country and the issue was how to make it useful.
“We need to tap into the underground water quickly in Turkana County. We can find the solutions to this, the resources needed including money,’’ said Mr Shah.
The aquifers were discovered in Turkana County in 2013 and have been since viewed as potential source of water fit for drinking and irrigating crops. It took only Sh100 million to begin exploitation of the first aquifer in Turkana, Mr Wamalwa said, but the second one would be much more complicated and expensive to put into use, he added.
The discovery was hailed for the potential prosperity it could bring to the drought-stricken area as well as the whole of Kenya where a third of the population does not have access to clean water.
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