Water crisis compounded with severe drought under a scorching sun of over 40 degrees Celsius, never seen for the last 50yrs, has affected Ijara Constituency and Garissa County in general.
Elders lead by former Defunct Ijara County Council official, Mohamed Gure and among them Mzee Muse Buro, Mama Sofia Abdi Ahmed, said the drought was creating rural urban migration and people have fled from small villages to town for livelihood.
However, the little water available for the town residents is not adequate for the demand is much higher than the supply.
Ijara Water Coordinator, Mr. Noor Mohamed, said despite the drought, Masalani residents have gone back to the old system, noting that the new system funded by Garissa County government in the initial times of devolution spending over Sh 160m the Garissa County government is not enough to satisfy the needs of the residents on the precious commodity.
Mohamed said the filtration underground tank were blocked by mud, while the previous contractor who designed the project did not provide for the drainage exit, to free water to be pumped from the intake.
However, the elders appealed to the Garissa County Government to clean the three underground tanks blocked by silt from River Tana to enable smooth pumping.
Meanwhile, Ijara Member of Parliament (MP), Abdi Ali Sheikhow, has flagged off water trucking by water bowser to supply water to the rural villages.
The areas most affected are Bulla Wacha, the entire Kotile Division, Qarmatha villages, Haji Mohamed area and the greater part of the Ijara Constituency, where wells have dried-up.
According to local leaders, ground water can be drilled along River Tana as it has been done before at the late Garissa County Senator, the late Mohamed Yussuf Haji’s home and Yussuf Haji Girls’ Secondary Schools in Hara location.
A recent survey conducted by engineers Ahmed Mohamed and a team from Maji House, Nairobi, indicated that water could be retrieved through drilling 70m where clean and safe water is available.
Wildlife and human conflict is another crisis that is affecting buffaloes and giraffe, while Columbus monkeys and the Hirola antelope (also known as Hunter’s hartebeest) are fleeing from the interior to river Tana in search of water.
KWS warden Mr. Adan Ali has appealed to donor community to help conservancies like Ishagbin conservancy to construct borehole and dams to avoid human-wildlife conflict.
Elders and Imams in Ijara constituency have called on Mosque Duksi Qirani School to pray in the mosque for rains that don’t cause floods.
However, non-governmental organisations operating in the area like Mercy Corps, Kenya Red Cross, Pastoralist girls initiative and political leaders to get out of their comfort zone and help the resident.
They called on Garissa County Governor, Nathif Jama, Garissa County Senator, Abdul Haji, Deputy Governor, Abdi Dagane, among other to come to the aid of the residents.
By Mohammed Dahir
