2,700 people benefit from a new borehole in Kenya

At the end of 2010, Farm Africa drilled a new borehole in Nzeluni village, Mwingi district, eastern Kenya. It is now providing 2,700 people with access to clean water. 

Since the borehole was drilled, the cost of water in the village has reduced from KSh15 (20p) to KSh3 (4p) per 20 litre water container. People in the village now have a much shorter distance to walk to collect water – walking an average of 3km compared to 12km in the past, giving them more time in the day to work on their land. As well as this, people in and around the village now spend less time waiting to draw water – waiting an average of 30 minutes at the new borehole compared to 90 minutes in the past.

The new borehole has other benefits too – a vegetable garden has been planted close to the borehole. The vegetables are watered using a simple drip irrigation scheme that Farm Africa helped to install.

To ensure that the borehole remains in good working condition, ten people in the village have been trained in basic borehole maintenance, record keeping and management skills. The small fee to use the borehole of KSh3 (4p) is being used to meet all of the running and maintenance costs for the borehole.