Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Kenya + 2 more

Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia: "God's Wells" - where rain hasn't washed the crisis away

Standing at Borehole 11 in Mandera District at the crossroads between Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia things appeared to be back to normal.
Women and animals were queuing up to collect water from the tapstands and others were starting the laborious business of rolling their jerrycans full of water back to their homes a few kilometres away. Borehole 11 is so called because it is 11 kilometres from the oasis town of El Wak on the volatile Somali border. El Wak which itself translates from the local Somali dialect to "God's Wells", had been of those places in North-East Kenya where just two months back I had seen animals collapsing in front of me. The piles of their bones littered the landscape as livestock and particularly cattle succumbed in their tens of thousands to the worst drought in living memory.

Since then the area has been blessed with sufficient rain for the grass to reappear, the shrubs to sprout leaves and for the wells to start to fill again. The bones have gone, cleared by locals with support from CAREís emergency water and sanitation programme in Mandera District, and on the surface life seems to be resuming its normal pattern. But scratch beneath the surface and underneath just like the greeny-brown covering of vegetation which is set to disappear again in just a couple of months that crisis is never far away.

I spoke with members of Borehole 11's management committee which CARE is working with to lesson the load on the only reliable source of fresh drinking water for the many thousands of local residents. Hussein Maalim, the Water Users' Association Secretary told me that they were really excited about the imminent arrival of the water tank which is to be lifted into place to replace the old rusted one that rotted away years ago. Having a 24,000 litre tank will enable the overworked pump to take some periodic much needed rest and ease the frenetic water collection which at present only takes place when the generator is switched on. In addition CARE is extending the pipeline closer to peopleís homes, including the recent new arrivals who arrived in town either due to the loss of their herds or to escape fighting over on the Somali side of the border.

However, despite his enthusiasm for the new development he told me that everything was not as it once was. He explained to me that people were not currently coming to the borehole as before. ëIn the past this place would be crowded with people and livestock. But right now many canít even afford the one Kenyan shilling (less than a penny) we ask for a twenty litre jerry can. This also hits our ability to supply water since we canít buy fuel for the generator." The reason for this situation is the huge loss of livestock that for local people meant everything. Livestock provided food and income for families through their milk and the occasional sale of an animal. ìEverybody, including the rich, has lost badly but many of those who started with little have lost everythingî was the situation as Hussein put it.

No water is bad news for those who most need it. We headed off to meet some of the people who had recently settled on the edge of town on the old airstrip and to where CARE is planning to extend the water pipeline. Here we met a group of women with their children including Hawa Aden who made us sit down to hear their story. "Yes we have heard that CARE is planning to bring water close to us and that will solve one of our big problems".

But it seemed others still remained. "Can't you see how dirty these children are," she told me, pointing to the gang of shy and dishevelled children standing around us. "We can only afford enough to drink once in a while, there is no money for water for washing". I asked how they found money for even that and was told that collecting firewood was their main source of income since they had lost their animals. But that was an irregular source. Just that morning Hawa had sent her daughter to the borehole to see if somebody would be kind enough to fill at least part of her jerrycan for free.

The rains have come and for the time being at least the wells are filling up. But the drought that had been building up for a period of three years has taken its toll. The coming of the modest rains didn't wash away the problems for women like Hawa and their children are vulnerable to sickness and disease. With no assets to speak of, there will be little she can do if there is another shock for her to cope with on top of these problems. For many of the people of the town they call God's Wells the emergency has only just begun.