Commissioning of Boreholes in Kakuma 1

KAKUMA, Kenya, 26th August 2015 (UNHCR) – “I will now allocate more time to my grocery shop and my children can attend school uninterrupted, “ were the words of Pamela Manirambona, of Burundian Nationality, a single mother of 3, two boys and one girl during the handover ceremony.

Team and Team International, a South Korean NGO and operational partner of UNHCR in the water sector, handed over a new borehole in Kakuma 1. Team & Team International has been working on several water projects including: construction of two elevated steel tanks and pipeline extensions.

The commissioning ceremony was as a result of a recently completed new borehole which was drilled in Kakuma 1. This is the second borehole drilled in a span of 5months that will greatly improve water supply in the camp. The borehole was handed over to UNHCR which in turn handed over to Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) which manages water and sanitation in the camp.

Kakuma 1, being the oldest area in the camp since inception in 1992 is currently faced with numerous challenges related to water and sanitation. Among them is a decrease in water supply as a result of aging boreholes which no longer supply sufficient quantities of water.

Women and children complain of spending long hours in queues at the water points. In worst case scenarios, the long queues result in conflict. The new borehole, with an expected yield of 36 cubic meters per hour will greatly boost water supply to the persons of concern. Similarly, increased water pressure at the tap stands will mean that beneficiaries no longer have to wait long hours to fill their containers.

In addition to boosting water supply, proximity of the borehole to the main hospital in the camp will act as an emergency reservoir in preparedness for any disease outbreak.

By Oscar Nabiswa, UNHCR Kakuma Sub-Office

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