Case study
Baringo District, Kenya
Fred K. Mwango, C.O. Juma, I.T. Githae
1Location of Baringo District
• Between latitude 00o15’00” and 01o30’00” N
• Longitude 35o43’00” and 36o30”00” E
• Area= 8,655 km2 Physiography
Closely related to the formation of the East African Rift Valley System with 2 major features: wet highlands and arid to semi-arid lowlands (2/3 of DC total area).
Aquifer / Country Setting & Characteristics
Lack of water facilities
Climate
4 climatic zones:
Very Humid, Humid, Semi-arid, Arid Most parts of the DC lie within the semi
arid and arid climatic zones. These zones suffer from high temperatures and high evaporation rates
Rain fall
• 2 rain seasons: long rains from end of March to early July and short rains from end of September up to November and May.
• Total rainfall:1000 mm/1400 mm in highlands, 600/1000 mm in lowlands and northern parts.
Study area characteristics
• Low-medium to high groundwater potential Aquifer area found within the
• Sedimentary alluvial deposits and buried river channels
• Volcanic rocks (in the interfaces between successive lava flows and fractured zones)
• Weathered fractured basement rocks.
Water Resources Assessment Study Results
Groundwater availability
• In the weathered and fractured zones of the volcanic rocks, sediments interbedded between volcanic rocks and alluvial and torrent washed deposits.
• In the study area, shallow aquifers which area exploited through wells and deep aquifers through boreholes of over 100 metres deep.
• Several groundwater projects, either Government sponsored or Government/Donor sponsored, have been initiated in these areas.
• In the study area there are only two perennial streams flowing in the lowlands:
Rivers Arabal and Kerio. The existing laggas are dry most of the year and flooded during heavy rains in the highlands. The uses for these rivers are therefore limited and the population in the lowlands relies heavily on groundwater and pans.
In these areas, only 16.9% of the population has access to safe water abstracted mainly from boreholes, and wells.
• In all previous Groundwater Projects undertaken in the study area, the beneficiary communities had been identified through a baseline survey whereby the
communities water needs, capacity to support the project and maintain the facilities was assessed.
• Lacks of basic infrastructures and services
• Most important problem: lack of water facilities. No alternatives to a semi-nomadic way of life.
• As in other semi-arid areas, lowlands have extremely limited surface water resources and groundwater is therefore the main source of water for domestic and livestock purposes.
• Current provision for water sources are limited resulting in recurring water-related diseases.
1
Department of Water, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Republic of Kenya
• Groundwater quality was found to be poor.
• The geophysical survey indicates that groundwater in the lake Baringo Basin is highly mineralised with very high Electrical conductivity values in Nginyang, Salabani and Ng'ambo areas with resistivitiy values as low as 1-5 ohmM
• The tectonic activity resulting in the formation of the Rift Valley system developed faults of different magnitudes and trends and this has affected the groundwater systems.
Major fault systems act as conduits for groundwater with high fluoride content.
• The map (fig 3) indicates the scattered water points in the study area. There is still great potential for groundwater development
• Water is used for domestic and livestock purposes within the DC.
• The Water Act 2002 is the main legal document in the management of groundwater resources.
• The Environment Management and Co-ordination Act, 1999 is also used in the management of groundwater resources in the Arid and Semi-arid areas.
• Through the Water Act, 2002, groundwater can be abstracted through issuance of a permit.
• However in the study area the management of groundwater resources is also done through water users associations (WUAS) and Community Water Committees which are adequately trained in groundwater management issues.
Lack of water facilities Water Resources Assessment Study Groundwater Resources Management
KENYA
Groundwater projects
Water Resources Assessment Study (WRAS)
The WRAS developed two groundwater potential maps:
Fig 1: Shallow groundwater potential Fig 2: Deep groundwater potential
Fig 1
Groundwater Resources Management
DISCLAIMER: Poster draft prepared by IWRM.org on behalf of the author(s). Any inconsistencies between author(s) input materials and the poster is unintentional.
Tangulbei Nginyang
Tirioko Churo Tangulbei Nginyang
Tirioko Churo
Fig 3
Fig 2
