Project Status



Project Type:  Sand Dam

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 3,911 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2025

Functionality Status:  Functional

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Alex Koech, Communications Officer

In the Kitemi Community, the 4,189 members are burdened by the struggle of seeking water on a daily basis. With so many people in the community, there is never enough water to meet even basic needs. The water they manage to collect is likely to make them ill due to contamination.

A scoop hole (representative photo below), the primary water source, is just a hole dug in the sand. It is insufficient and dangerous as residents dig deeper and deeper to find water. The only other option is a shallow well in the Kithalani Community, which boasts clean water but is over two miles away. Because so many rely on it, it cannot recharge fast enough to keep up with the need, causing long queues and contention between community members.

Field Officer Alex Koech said, "They have to walk more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) to either the scoop hole or recently set up shallow well. They have to wake up early; otherwise, the water at the well and scoop hole runs out, and they have to wait till it collects more water."

75-year-old farmer Francis Mbuvi Muli, shown below, shared, "Getting water to drink is a challenge, and even getting water for cattle to drink is hard because of the long distance to the shallow well or scoop hole. My children also complain of thirst on several occasions because sometimes there is no water at home to drink, and they have to wait for their mother to fetch water from the shallow well."

Francis Mbuvi Muli at the distant well in the Kithalani Community.

"Irrigating trees is also difficult since the little available water is barely sufficient for cooking or drinking. Most of our houses are built using bricks, which require water to prepare. The lack of water has made house construction challenging as well," he continued.

"When I am sent to fetch water by my parents using a donkey, the donkey often becomes stubborn and throws down the jerrycans because of the heavy load and long distance. This really upsets me since I have to go back and fetch water again," said 10-year-old Bahati.

Bahati at the shallow well, over two miles from her home.

Traveling long distances to wait for meager amounts of water is frustrating enough. When that water is unsafe to consume, it makes life even more unbearable in the Kitema Community.

"Water acquired from the scoop hole is contaminated because animals defecate near the area or inside the water point. Exposing residents to infections such as typhoid, amoeba, and dysentery," continued Alex.

"Drinking water from the scoop hole exposes me to health complications, such as stomach upsets. For instance, in the past two weeks, I have had stomach upsets, which are expensive to treat, especially due to our low income," continued Bahati.

Installing a new waterpoint will allow people like Francis to better care for those who depend on him. It will enable his children to drink clean water, quenching their thirst and freeing up time and resources for them to dream and focus on their future. Children like Bahati won't have to travel as far to get clean water, allowing them to focus on their education and future prospects.

"I believe the construction of a water project in our village will avail enough water for drinking, cooking, irrigating crops, and building houses (and latrines). Our livelihoods will improve when we no longer spend several hours looking for water," Francis concluded.

Helping to solve the water crisis in this community will take a multi-faceted system. It requires the collaboration of the sand dam and a hand-dug well. They will work together to create a sustainable water source that will serve this community for years to come.

The Proposed Solution, Determined Together...

At The Water Project, everyone has a part in conversations and solutions. We operate in transparency, believing it benefits everyone. We expect reliability from one another as well as our water solutions. Everyone involved makes this possible through hard work and dedication.

In a joint discovery process, community members determine their most advantageous water solution alongside our technical experts. Read more specifics about this solution on the What We're Building tab of this project page. Then, community members lend their support by collecting needed construction materials (sometimes for months ahead of time!), providing labor alongside our artisans, sheltering and feeding the builders, and supplying additional resources.

Water Access for Everyone

This water project is one piece in a large puzzle. In Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, we're working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources that guarantee public access now and in the future within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. One day, we hope to report that this has been achieved!

Training on Health, Hygiene & More

With the community's input, we've identified topics where training will increase positive health outcomes at personal, household, and community levels. We'll coordinate with them to find the best training date. Some examples of what we train communities on are:

  • Improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits
  • Safe water handling, storage & treatment
  • Disease prevention and proper handwashing
  • Income-generation
  • Community leadership, governance, & election of a water committee
  • Operation and maintenance of the water point

Project Updates


January, 2025: Kitemi Community Sand Dam Complete!

Kitemi Community, Kenya now has access to a new water source thanks to your donation! We constructed a sand dam on the riverbed, which will raise the water table and naturally filter water over time. We also built a new hand-dug well with a hand pump adjacent to the sand dam, providing the community with a safer method to draw the drinking water supplied by the dam.

"With a consistent water supply, I will devote more time to productive activities rather than spending hours fetching water. This extra time will be used to pursue farming and rearing of cattle. Access to adequate clean water means my children will be healthier and attend school regularly. Consistent attendance will support better learning outcomes and help my children build the skills and knowledge needed for future aspirations," shared 42-year-old Rhoda Dorcas.

Sand Dam Construction

The members of the Kwa Kisukio Muthini Self-Help Group collected all of the local materials, like rocks and sand, required to complete the dam. The collection of raw materials takes longer than the actual construction, lasting up to four months for a large sand dam. The group also dedicated their time to support our artisans with a tremendous amount of physical labor throughout the project.

First, our team drew up siting and technical designs and presented them to the Water Resources Management Authority. We then sent a survey to the National Environment Management Authority for approval before beginning construction.

Once the plans were approved, we established a firm base for the sand dam wall. Usually, this requires the community to dig all the way down to the bedrock beneath the river channel. In the absence of good bedrock, we excavate to a depth at which the ground is compact enough to stop seepage.

Next, we heaped mortar (a mixture of sand, cement, and water) into the foundation, followed by rocks. We then used barbed wire and rebar to reinforce the mixture.

Once the foundation was complete, we built a timber skeleton to hold the structure above ground level. We repeated the process until reaching a sufficient height, width, and length.

Finally, we dismantled the vertical timber beams and left the dam to cure. This dam measures 31 meters long and 3 meters high and took 540 bags of cement.

When the rains come, sand and silt will be carried down the dry riverbed and build up behind the dam wall. This reservoir of sand acts as a giant natural filter, and allows rainwater to seep into the ground and raise the water table. With this water, the surrounding landscape will become lush and fertile, and the well will provide drinking water to the community. It could take up to three years of rain for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity because in this region, sometimes it only rains once a year!

Community Education

The Kwa Kisukio Muthini Self-Help Group has been busy! This is the second sand dam they have completed recently, which is challenging to achieve as construction is so laborious. Due to their efficiency, training for both projects was completed in one fell swoop! 

We previously trained the group on various skills, including bookkeeping, financial management, project management, group dynamics, and governance. We conducted hygiene and sanitation training to teach skills like soap and detergent-making and improve habits such as handwashing.

We have covered health problems in the community, good and bad hygiene habits, and disease prevention. Finally, we’ve covered natural resource management as well as the operation and maintenance of the sand dam.

Empowered by the new water source and hygiene training, Rhoda continued, "With less time spent on water collection, my children will participate more in extracurricular activities that develop skills, build interests, and contribute to their overall growth and future prospects. We will also have adequate water to improve hygiene among my children and at home."

Thank you for making all of this possible!




December, 2024: Exciting Progress in Kitemi Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for the entire Kitemi Community. Construction has begun on the sand dam project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon, we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in Kitemi Community!




Project Photos


Project Type

Sand dams are huge, impressive structures built into the riverbeds of seasonal rivers (rivers that disappear every year during dry seasons). Instead of holding back a reservoir of water like a traditional dam would, sand dams accumulate a reservoir of silt and sand. Once the rain comes, the sand will capture 1-3% of the river’s flow, allowing most of the water to pass over. Then, we construct shallow wells on the riverbank to provide water even when the river has dried up, thanks to new groundwater reserves. Learn more here!


Contributors

Project Sponsor - Because of the great love of God
Accelerator Match