The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has announced a major focus on water infrastructure development in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties as part of its long-term drought resilience strategy.
NDMA CEO Hared Adan stated that enhancing water availability remains the government's top priority in addressing the challenges faced by residents in these drought-prone regions.
Speaking about the current situation, Adan explained that "in the 23 counties, we do not have any water shortage problem at the moment, even in terms of pasture, we are doing fine, and we expect this to last for the next two months. By August and September, we expect to get rain. We don't expect to be in drought mode the whole of this financial year."
Adan emphasized that water scarcity represents the most critical challenge in ASAL counties, noting that solving water access issues would address nearly 90% of the problems faced by communities in these regions.
With scarce and unreliable rainfall patterns characterizing these areas, the NDMA is implementing strategies to build sustainable water infrastructure that can withstand drought shocks.
According to Adan, the government has allocated resources from the national treasury to implement water projects across ASAL counties.
"We are putting a lot of effort into water infrastructure, and based on the budget from the treasury, we are going to put a lot of infrastructure in ASAL counties that will support our community to withstand the drought shocks," he said.
The NDMA's approach involves close engagement with local communities to identify specific needs and develop tailored solutions.
This community-centered strategy aims to build long-term resilience while addressing immediate water access challenges.