Residents of Bondo Sub County are set to enjoy access to safe water after Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency (LVWWDA) commissioned the Obedi water project to benefit over 1,500 members of the community.
The water project undertaken at a cost of Sh10 million is expected to deliver over 600 liters of water per hour to the members of the community.
Speaking during the commissioning of the project at Obedi primary school in West Sakwa Ward Bondo Sub County, LVWWDA board chair Mr Dan Omino said the agency will make additional efforts to enable connection of water supply from the project to houses within the area.
“This project involved drilling water 140 meters below the surface and has the capacity of producing over 600 litres per hour. Besides water that will be sourced at this point, we intend to support connection to houses in the area. This is all in an effort to increase access to clean water for our people in Bondo,” Omino said.
Omino also revealed that the Last Mile Water connectivity in Bondo commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta has already benefitted over one hundred households and is projected to benefit a further 1,790 households when fully implemented.
The LVWWDA board chair disclosed that the Ugunja- Sega-Ukwala water project funded by the African Development Bank is at 87 per cent completion and the implementation is expected to be completed by the end of August this year to increase access to clean water for residents of Siaya County.
“We have faced challenges of machinery and land compensation but we are confident that by the end of August the project shall be completed to begin service to the people of Siaya,” Omino said.
Siaya county CEC Mr Richard Mungla who graced the occasion warned members of the community against engaging in wrangles leading to collapse of the water project.
Mungla disclosed that a number of community water projects in the county are currently on their death beds because of wrangles in the management of the projects.
“Community water projects are meant to supplement access to clean water by the Siaya Bondo Water and Sanitation Company (SIBOWASCO) Management and community wrangles in this project have led to collapse denying the community clean water,” Mungla said.
West Sakwa ward aspirant Truphosa Osewe who spearheaded the Obedi water project expressed gratitude that the project had been implemented successfully urging members of the community to own the project to avoid wrangles.
“If I do not make it to the next Siaya County Assembly, I will be glad that I left behind a legacy. We will employ security personnel to guard the project against vandalism but I ask you to avoid wrangles that will take us back to where we had no water,” Osewe said.
The occasion was also attended by Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) board member Dr Wenwa Akinyi Odinga, immediate former LVWWDA director Dr Anne Michura who called on MCAs to network and look beyond county government resources as they seek to bring development in their regions.
By Brian Ondeng’
