Report on Clean Water District Grant

This project  provided clean water for nine communities of approximately 400 people each in Western Kenya. Each site is estimated to cost from $600 to $1,000 for a shallow well. A list of requests for water has been received from 15 communities for spring protection or shallow well. 

Background: The Western Province of Kenya receives ample rainfall during the rainy season but has two dry seasons per year lasting almost three months each – community rainwater storage for this length of time is impractical unless costly underground tanks are installed. Drinking water is often only available at polluted seasonal springs or rivers which may be kilometers away from the village. Site selection criteria include assessment of the number of people who would benefit and factors such as the distance of the nearest water source from the village in question and its quality. There is no lack of deserving requests. In the case of springs, protection of the immediate area around the spring is necessary to prevent the water source from being polluted by field runoff, which may contain animal fecal matter, fertilizer and insecticide. For those sites with steeply sloping access, steps are included in the work. Springs are deemed to be public property and require no Village Water Committee to be formed since maintenance of a protected spring is minimal. In the case of a well, a local management committee is struck to oversee the use and maintenance of the well. A preferred site is a school where the community can have access to the water at specified times. 

Rotarians Patricia and Rod Crossley have spent half of each year for the past sixteen years in this rural area of Kenya.