By Johnson Chengo
It is a sigh of relief to over 1,800 residents of Takaungu village in Mnarani Ward, Kilifi County who will now have an improved and fresh water access in their homes.
This follows the rehabilitation of old pipes and water tanks at a cost of Sh13.5 million.
Speaking to the media, Member of County Assembly Juma Chengo said the initiative will unlock the challenges experienced by many residents especially during the drought seasons by alleviating water shortage in the area.
He said many families used to trek long distances in search of the precious commodity.
“The population of Mnarani Ward is increasing significantly and especially due to the mushrooming of estates along the Takaungu pristine beach, this project comes in handy to ensure that our people get all the time flow of clean and sufficient water in their homes. This is one of the key issues I gave priority during my campaign towards serving the residents,” said chengo.
Chengo assured the residents that perennial water shortages will be a thing of the past.
“Already there is a lot of rehabilitation done by the County government including replacing vandalized pipes with new ones, accessing the status of the Baricho-Langobaya pipe line and these are some of the incentives measures put in place of ending the perennial water shortages so am confident that water scarcity will be a history,” he said.
The MCA in some point said the water scarcity was a threat to many marriages in the area.
“Women used to walk for long distances before they could access the commodity. Majority of these still have to meet other obligations including conjugal rights before they can sleep, this prompted marriage break -ups,” said the MCA.
Ester Uchi, one of the residents of Takaungu, said that they struggle with water crises especially during dry seasons when they are forced to trek long distances in search of the commodity but expressed optimism that soon there will be a major transformation in terms of water supply.
She urged the County government to revive more water projects including sinking boreholes in the area to permanently solve water shortages.
