Lenkishon Community Water Storage Tank
Background to the Project:
Lenkishon is a small and remote community situated on the floor of the Rift Valley in southern Kenya. It is about 20km west from the nearest town Magadi and has a very harsh climate that makes survival a daily challenge. Temperatures often exceed 40 0C with high humidity and there is very little vegetation or trees to be found.
There are two rainy seasons, however they often fail completely – as is the case for 2022 – or fall intermittingly with the maximum rainfall less then 300mm per year. There is no surface storage in the area for the rain water so when the rain stops or fails, families have to consider other options for their water solutions. This usually involves having to travel long distances of up to 20km to the nearest water source and carrying it back in containers on donkeys or bicycles.
There are approximately 100 Maasai settlements (Bomas) in the area with each village containing up to three households. An average of 6 people live in each household meaning there are around 1,800 people within the area of Lenkishon of which approximately a quarter are children under 10 years old.
This community has recently set aside 7 acres for development by the church and so it will become a focal area for everyone. After much discussion the community leaders decided to build a water storage tank inside the church plot and a watering trough just outside the church plot so that livestock could also access the water. There are plans to build a Nursery school and a feeder Primary School on the church land so having clean water available to the school will have a significant impact on the education, health and well-being of the whole community.
As the rainfall is insufficient for adequate storage the only other supply of water available in the area is a trickle from a small pipe which has been set aside by the local council. This is just a pipe lying on the ground that both people and livestock use. The area around the pipe was slippery and muddy with leaking water as well as being generally contaminated by animals. By connecting this pipe to the tank and the watering trough it will catch and store any water that is available and clean up the area around the tank to avoid water borne diseases.
The community around Lenkishon still live a very traditional Maasai lifestyle, living off their cattle, sheep and goats and in constant search for grazing and water. They also see the value of having a church influence amongst its people and they see this project as part of their plans for securing their future.
Project Details:
WATER DROPS fenced the storage tank area to make it safe from wild animals – especially Elephants. A 50m3 water storage tank was constructed to safely store the water from the existing pipeline which will be secured and drained to keep the area clean and safe.
A water trough was also constructed which will be used for livestock. This water is now used by the whole community as well as domestic livestock, but when there is a shortage then the community will have first preference for water.
This water is controlled by a locally elected Water Committee to ensure an equitable share across the whole community. The committee will consist of members of the new parish church as well as community and local leaders. People will need to pay a minimal amount for the use of it, however this will ensure a sum of money is always available for on-going maintenance.
This makes the storage tank a sustainable water source for the community who will now have access to a CLEAN and SAFE water supply. Appropriate training was carried out for the Management Committee before work began and at the handing over ceremony, which was held on 9th February 2023, the Committee took ownership of the tank and storage system.
The time scale for this project was 5 working weeks from start to completion.
