Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Water Engineers anyone?

I can't say I'm too shocked to hear that Kenya gets enough rainfall to supply up to 7 times its current population. After seeing the floods in the Coast and North Eastern Kenya over the past few weeks, there's no doubt that we in Kenya get quite a bit of water.

Question is what to do with it. Apart from Hydro Electricity and Rice Farming, there's no real use being put to the lots of water (apart from consuming it of course).

I wonder if there's any institution/organisation that is planning/is doing anything towards water harvesting. I say institution because the government seems to be preoccupied in other things - elections mostly.. How I wish somehow that the running of government and the policy making bit could work properly and independently.

Some university students and professors could actually take up this and turn it into a research project, get relevant info.. apparently the technology is out there that allows economic water harvesting. This could be a way of bridging the LARGE GAP between University and Society/Business/Improving Life in Kenya ?

2 comments:

jke said...

You might want to check out the Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA, http://www.wrma.co.ke) that deals with such issues among others and has its HQ in NHIF Building, Nbo.

It s true this could be a nice research project but I guess funding is always the issue and there are lot of qualified engineers in Kenya who would do any kind of feasibility study or even try out a few technologies if someone comes and pays them for doing just that.

Let me inquire about the water harvesting guidelines that already exist...isn't it that all new buildings in Kenya are already supposed to have rain gutters installed? Sijui about groundwater recharge though with all that harvesting...

J said...

link is not working ;) www.wrma.co.ke