Makurian Residents Learn From Transformative Solio Water Project
From laikipia.go.ke
Solio Water Project has transformed a rather dry area into one of the most productive parts of Laikipia agriculturally.
As a result, many people from within the county and beyond are eager to learn how the people in the seven villages of Solio have been able to change their lives after the government availed their water.
On 12th June 2021, a group of 40 representatives from Makurian and Osirwa-Chumvi under the facilitation of the Department of Water paid a visit to the region to learn how the people in the area manage the vital commodity and ways of using it to transform their lives to be better.
We took 40 people from the two areas to learn from the success of the Solio water project. It’s for them now to learn and implement in their areas once the Makurian Water Project is complete.
said Eng. June Kawira-Opot, the Chief Officer, Department of Water.
The Government is currently rolling out the Makurian-Osirua water project under its water for production initiative. The projects cover Mukogodo Eastward with the water intake located on the northern slopes of Mount Kenya.
Makurian project already has an interim committee to manage the water for domestic and irrigation use like in Solio. The project which is almost complete is targeting 20,000 residents of Mukogodo East Ward.
The County Government has so far constructed 42 kilometers of pipeline from the intake to Doldol and two masonry tanks with a capacity of 225m3 and constructed a gravity main of 7.6Km.
The visit was one of a series of community engagements that the government has arranged to sensitize the communities on project management and governance.
The Makurian project will take a management model similar to that of Solio where Nanyuki Water and Sewerage Company(NAWASCO) is involved in reticulation and all the technical support for efficiency.
The community will have management responsibility, while the technical support will come from NAWASCO.
Eng. Kawira – Opot said.
Just like in Solio, residents of Osirwa will have water in their homesteads because of proper settlements. However, people of Makurian will have community water points first awaiting a structured system to connect water to their homes.
The ever-grateful Makurian and Osirwa communities are set to start farming and start feedlots which provide high yields by utilizing a small portion of land with enough water.
With water being an enabler, the transformative project is expected to support economic activities which will increase incomes for the residents. The area is mainly a pastoralism area and the residents are expected to embrace modern systems of cattle rearing such as feedlots and zero-grazing.
