Rainwater Harvesting: as an Adaptation Strategy for Enhanced Water Source in Machakos Town

Abstract

The study was conducted out in Machakos town the capital of Machakos County. The overall objective of the study was to find out whether rooftop rainwater harvesting is an adaptive strategy to enhance water supply in Machakos town. Machakos town has been facing water shortage for decades which is a setback for its development .The piped water is no longer reliable and therefore majority of the residents have turned into borehole water supply. The study reviewed the existing policy, legal and institutional framework for water supply and demand management. It also assessed the current water supply and condition in Machakos town. From the target population of 11583 households, sample size of 207 household heads was arrived. The study was based on stratified sampling procedure where some households were selected at intervals and only those available formed the sample data. The sample data were subjected to exploratory analyses to show distribution tendencies required for description of the survey data. Differences in means between two samples were specified using students t- test statistic, the independence between household samples were specified using chi-square test and strength of associations were measured using Pearson’s Correlation static, all at α 0.05. The data was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The findings of the study would be an eye-opener to all the stakeholders interested in finding a long-term solution to the perennial water shortage affecting Machakos town. The study found out that water inadequacy in Machakos town was a challenge due to fast population growth. Most of the residents rely on boreholes as their main source of water for all uses. Piped water is rationed to those who get the service with some taps having totally been dry for years. Those who practice roof top rainwater harvesting do not store enough to carry them through the dry spell. It was noted that in Machakos town, rooftop rainwater can be harvested and utilized for both domestic and other uses. Many modern homes in Machakos town have no roof top rainwater harvesting system. In such cases, rainwater from the roofs is wasted. The results of the study may be used by stakeholders to formulate policies that would ensure development of rainwater harvesting as a key source of urban water supply for urban areas in Arid and Semi-Arid areas, particularly Machakos town; whose existing water supply is below the demand as urban population increases every year. Thus, the study recommends that; all stakeholders in the water sector in Machakos town have to come together to marshal ideas and resources in order to enhance roof top rain water harvesting; failure to which Machakos will continue to face water shortage. This also has a ripple effect in slowing down economic/industrial growth of this strategic town. As the population continues to increase with the attendant increased demand for more, the already bad situation occasioned by the impacts of climate change can only get worse. The said concerted efforts will enhance the existing water supply to Machakos town, which currently depends on water from boreholes, as the main source. The study also recommends construction of road site water harvesting to enhance supply for water for non-domestic uses. This is vital because Machakos town has many tarmac roads, streets and paved surfaces, which collect large amount of water and drain it to rivers and streams onwards to the Indian Ocean. This large amount of water that is lost perennially could be harvested, treated by following standard treatment procedures and finally supplied for irrigation and other water –depended activities in Machakos town.