Rainwater harvesting supplies water and income in Kenya

By Stephanie McCauley
August 31, 2016

With guidance from the Africa Sand Dam Foundation, villages in Kenya’s Makueni County are creating rain catchment systems to take action against drought. People in the Kikumbulyu village built rock catchment systems for rainwater, which divert water into large concrete tanks. The catchment systems required community collaboration during the planning and building process, and they benefit the village by eliminating long trips to obtain water from the river and providing income to the community from selling the harvested water. A similar project in the Songeni village uses sand dams to capture river overflow during floods, which the communities use to grow beans for export.

Climate Protection: Improves ability to grow vegetation and sequester carbon Resilience: Provides water in times of drought Food & Water: Increases water and food resources Jobs & Assets: Creates income for villagers from selling water or crops Health, Well-Being, & Safety: Decreases the need to trek long distances for water Connection: Brings villages together to plan, build, and maintain water systems