County Government of Laikipia

Water has started flowing closer to homes in Chumvi, marking significant milestones for the Makurian-Osirua water project implemented by Governor Ndiritu Muriithi's government.

Residents are now using water for domestic purposes after it reached the two main tanks each of 225 cubic metres capacity at Lolomarik.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 was a day of celebration as the elders of both Osirua and Makurian hosted a team from the County Department of Water and Nawasco Board Members and other top officials to mark the milestone of water flowing to the area.

The ceremony was to bless the work done so far.

The main line from Loruko is complete and has reached the tank. At this point the water is flowing and residents using it at a common point for domestic purposes.

Construction of the 150 cubic metre tank at this point is almost complete.

The transmission line from Lolomarik to Ol Kalkar is ninety per cent done, while the transmission line that will take water to Chumvi area is eighty percent complete.

Rehabilitation work at the water intake area is done to ensure flow of clean and adequate water to both Makurian and Chumvi residents. The rehabilitation involved construction of thrust gabions to protect the weir from storm waters, deepening and widening the intake reservoir for proper stilling, and repairing the chamber covers.

The project which will benefit 20,000 people will be complete by end of this year. The next phase will involve piping the water to the homesteads.

The utilization of the water from this project is expected to be similar to that of the Solio Water Project. The committe, through the department, has visited for a benchmark mission. They were taken through sustainability and governance of the projects, visited some farmers using water for production, and financial management.

Water is an enabler for economic development and thus the northern part of the county is expected to change in a positive manner.