With the on-going rainfall, Laikipia county government has adopted Slamdam technology to control the devastating effects of floods in the region.
According to SNV Netherlands official James Mwangi, the initiative could be deployed in flood prone areas to effects caused by heavy downpour.
“We started this project when it was announced the country expected El Nino rains, and in partnership with the county government, community members, we mapped out areas prone to flooding,” revealed Mwangi.
Mwangi said that Slamdams could harness the flood water enabling the communities to plant and also to use the harnessed water for irrigation during the dry season, thus improving their food security.
Slamdam is a project invented by the Slamdam of the Netherlands that uses synthetic tubes filled with water and used as flowing water barriers.Their main purpose is to block flooding water and help to push it back to its course.
The technology has also been used in in Burundi and Nigeria for farming purposes aimed to increase productivity even during dry seasons.
”Slamdam has been used in different countries and it is being implemented in Kenya for the first time. And in this technology, we use water to prevent disasters caused by the same water,” he said.
Margaret Mwangi, a beneficiary of the slamdam technology and a Rumuruti resident, noted that, during this rainy season, her home was spared from the deluge thanks to the project.
“We were able to overcome flooding due to this technology. The slamdam has been of great help to us. They are significant in controlling flooding. If they were not installed on time, we could be counting losses,” she said.
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu said that technology was aimed at preventing floods brought about by heavy rains.
Additionally the governor said the tube could be used to store water especially when drought beckons, and for irrigation purposes, and hence said the county was ready to embrace the technology.
During the dry season, the project could be used for water trucking especially for the pastoral communities as they move with their livestock since the tubes are portable and easy to deploy.
Some of the areas within the county where the project has been started are Rumuruti, Kamuthanga and Wiyumirie areas.
By Muturi Mwangi
