The County Government through the Department of Water Services, has partnered with Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) to equip technicians with skills and knowledge to tackle water supply challenges arising from breakdowns of boreholes and other water infrastructure in Turkana North and South.
The three-day training comes at a time when eight boreholes in Turkana North and seven in Turkana South are non-functional, thus denying more than 45,000 people access to water.
The Deputy Director for Water Services, Jackson Egusi, said the training focussed on the latest technologies in the market, to improve access to water supply systems, and rehabilitate the boreholes once they break down for continued water availability at the household level.
Egusi emphasized the government’s commitment to improving water access for all, calling upon the 15 trainees from Turkana North and South, to put the skills acquired into practice by repairing the 15 non-functional boreholes identified.
In addition to this, Davis and Shirtliff Manager in Turkana, Jones Nyakwara, who facilitated the training, explained that the trainees had been fully equipped with information on; borehole problem diagnosis, damage assessment, reading water level decline, operation of the sunverter energy solution provider and identification of repair needs.
On her part, the head of the WASH Program at Peace Winds Japan, Evelyn Tumaina said that the training was meant to improve real-time repairs and mitigate against undesired impacts of drought on water infrastructure in both Turkana North and Turkana South.
She noted the intervention would also focus on boreholes in Nakapelewoi and Napetet primary schools (Turkana North) and Lokichar Mixed and Kamarese (Turkana South).
The boreholes in those schools are among the 15, whose water supply systems had been severely affected by the drought.
The repair of the boreholes would save the County Government Sh 30 million per year.
Tumaina acknowledged the support from UNICEF and the People of Japan. She said the focus was mainly on drought response, through the facilitation of technical teams in reviving non-functional boreholes to ensure improved water access in Turkana.
