Drought is a complex natural phenomenon with profound impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and society as a whole. Understanding drought patterns and trends is crucial for effective water resource management, agricultural planning, and disaster preparedness. In this blog, Dr Solomon Gebrechorkos and Prof. Simon Dadson explore the journey of developing and utilizing high-resolution drought datasets to unlock insights into drought dynamics at local and regional scales.
Kenya
Water scarcity forcing rural Kenyan women to devise coping mechanisms
In the past few years, most women and youths in Kilifi County have struggled with access to water for diverse activities due to climate change, limited networks, and income. Thus, access to and use of water is often negotiated and shaped by intrahousehold dynamics and government institutions. While women tasked to provide water for their families create networks to sustain access to water and diversify water sources. men move out for better jobs, and youths take up commercial water provision roles.
Policy-makers meet to advance the water security agenda in Kenya
On October 27th, REACH Kenya welcomed Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Hon. Zachariah Njeru, as the opening speaker at the National Stakeholder Forum on Climate Resilience and Water Security. Governors from Kitui, Marsabit...
Model results for scale-up of professionalized water services maintenance in Kenya suggest functionality gains and reduced government spending
Pranav Chintalapati, University of British Columbia Over the past decade, new approaches for rural water maintenance service provision have emerged, disrupting the status quo of community-based management and government intervention. FundiFix is one of a new cohort of...
Reliable water and hygiene services for Health Care Facilities in Kitui County, Kenya
Cliff Nyaga, University of Oxford In rural Kenya, Health Care Facilities (HCFs), specifically dispensaries and clinics, provide lifesaving care for millions of people living in remote villages. These areas are characterised by low population densities and high poverty...
Exit Strategy – sustaining and scaling water security impacts for the poor beyond 2024
After nine years of collective research on water security by over 50 global partners the REACH programme is due to close in 2024. While we are on track to meet the target of providing 10 million poor people with improved water security, this is a fragile outcome. We...
Groundwater for climate resilience in the Horn of Africa
Florence Tanui (University of Nairobi), Behailu Birhanu (Addis Ababa University), Dan Olago (University of Nairobi), Seifu Kebede (University of KwaZulu Natal) The Horn of Africa is experiencing extreme climate shocks and grappling with the need to plan for an...
What does it cost to provide safe water to rural health care facilities?
This research in Kitui County, Kenya, shows how professionalised service delivery FundiFix can provide safe and consistent water and soap delivery in hard to reach healthcare facilities.
Professionalized maintenance of rural water services: Four findings from Kitui County, Kenya
The second in our #WWD22 releases, this post is based on 10 years of research from Kitui County, Kenya, supported by the REACH programme, the USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, UNICEF, ESRC and UKAID. It presents key findings from a policy brief on investing in professionalized maintenance for rural drinking water services.
How social inequalities amplify water-related climate vulnerability
Dr Sonia Hoque, Dr Catherine Grasham and Dr Marina Korzenevica shed light on the lived experiences of water-related climate vulnerability to re-emphasise the importance of social research to ensure just outcomes in the fight against climate change.
