With temperatures soaring to 38 degrees Celsius and the drought crisis worsening, the Mandera County Government has launched a county-wide drought mitigation initiative to alleviate the crisis.
The intervention includes drilling boreholes in the most affected areas, particularly in the Mandera West and Banissa sub-counties, to provide much-needed water for both residents and livestock.
In Burmayo, Mandera West, a newly drilled and fully operational borehole is already supplying water to the community, easing the burden of water scarcity.
Meanwhile, in Birkan, Banissa, another borehole with a capacity of 8 cubic meters per hour has been successfully drilled.
Equipped with a generator, it features two Kettlewell troughs for livestock and a 2-kilometer pipeline extending to Birkan Centre, supplying water kiosks and benefiting over 2,000 households.
Launching the boreholes, Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring water accessibility for all residents.
“It is our duty as a government to provide water to our people, especially during such harsh climatic conditions,” he stated.
The governor also announced plans to establish additional emergency boreholes to sustain the region’s large livestock population.
“We will not stop here; we are working on more emergency boreholes to ensure no household or livestock suffers from thirst,” he added.
Residents welcomed the initiative, terming it a lifeline in the face of the ongoing drought.
“This borehole has come at the most critical time. We are grateful for this life-saving project,” one resident remarked.
The prolonged drought has severely impacted the Mandera West, Banissa, and Mandera North sub-counties, exacerbating water shortages and threatening livelihoods.
With climate change intensifying the crisis, the county government continues to prioritize water access as a key part of its long-term mitigation strategy.
By Adan Mohamed
