Prácticas y procesos comunicativos

Water is a basic human right and access to it should be a basic human right as well. The right of access to water resources is enshrined in the National Constitution and in the Water Act 2002. Access to water is an equally important factor in demand for water. Timely and easy access to water should be considered as a basic right that should be guaranteed for all. The study, therefore, sought to find out the average walking

distance to the nearest water point for every household and the findings are shown in Table 4.14 and Fig. 4.6).

Table 4.14: Percentage of households with access to water source by distance and season

Less than 1km 2km Above 2km 3-4km Above 4km

Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet

4.1% 4.2% 47.9% 70.8% 16% 10% 8.3% 2% 4.2% 0.3%

Source: Fieldwork, 2013  

Figure 4.6: Average household walking distance to nearest portable water point

The results indicate that 4.1% of household’s access water from less than 1km during the dry seasons compared to 4.2% during the wet seasons. The percentage of households accessing water within 2-3 km during the dry and wet season is 16% and 10%

respectively. However, households that access water within 3-4 km during the dry and wet seasons accounts for 8.3% and 2% respectively. Majority of households (47.9% and 70.8%) in Nyangores basin spend less than one hour to get water during the dry and wet seasons respectively with an average walking distance of 2 km. Given the average family size of five and some livestock that need water daily, then a lot of time could be used to get enough water for a family in a day. Majority of the respondents fetch water in the morning and in the evening and with a water point density of 400 persons, this time may be more. If this time is quantified economically, the population in the study area could be wasting valuable time that can be utilized in alternative economically viable activities. Time spent on fetching water can be used to do business, clean the house, work in the farm or even take care of the livestock. If time is thought of as an economic resource and even quantified in monetary terms, then inaccessibility to water can be a cause of poverty and other social problems.

According to the respondents, inadequate water can be associated with poverty, food shortage, waste of time and poor health. One of the respondents was quick to comment that “during dry periods, we have to walk for long distances to get clean water and even what we get is not so clean and so we get water-borne diseases on which we spend a lot of money to treat.” The most affected are women and children who traditionally are charged with the role of fetching water. It is even worse that at times, school going children have to take part of their school time to fetch water for their families and some don’t even attend school as they take responsibilities in their families early in life. The

catchment area is at risk of being trapped in poverty due to low investment in human capital. UNFPA (2003) notes that stabilizing global population at a level that will permit the achievement of sustainable development will be attainable only if efforts to expand and improve the quality of reproductive health programmes are maintained, and only if these are combined with greater empowerment of women and increased investments in human capital, particularly in the education of girls. This may not be the case for Nyangores sub-catchment as an area if girls are to continue doing the traditional roles of taking care of young siblings and fetching water even during school times as seen in the Plates 4.3 and 4.4 respectively. Long distances and time taken by women and children to haul water from various water sources reduce household water consumption and has a negative impact on water demand.

Plate 4.3: School children fetching water from unprotected spring within Nyangores basin

Plate 4.4: Hauling water by school going children and women in Nyangores River Source: Author, 2013

The quality of water the residents of the area get is an equally important consideration. Access to clean water is important for human health, not only in the study area but the whole of humanity. Contaminated water is a source of diseases and is associated with pregnancy failures. Water from protected springs and piped water are considered to be safest options. However, only 36% of the respondents have access to piped water and the rest get their water from the river or springs which in most cases are unprotected (Table 4.15 and Plate 4.5).

Table 4.15: Sources of water

Source of water _{Frequency Percent Percent}Valid Cumulative _Percent

Valid SPRING 82 36.6 39.0 39.0 RIVER 53 23.7 25.2 64.2 PIPPED WATER 75 33.5 35.8 100.0 Total 210 93.8 100.0 Missing System 14 6.3 Total 224 100.0 Source: Fieldwork, 2013

Plate 4.5: Effects of human activities on water quality along Nyangores Stream Source: Author, 2013

The piped water supply currently covers 5.3 per cent of the study area and its expansion has been quite slow for some time now. Out of the 696 square kilometers in the study area, only 36.9 have been covered by piped water system since 2003. This gives an

average of 0.4 square kilometers per year. This, according to the water officials, is contributed mainly by non-payment of water bills which as at January 2013, stood at shillings 4,171,949. The spatial distribution of piped water is shown in Figure (4.7). The municipal water distribution systems represent a major portion of the investment in urban infrastructure. The goal is to design water distribution systems to deliver potable water over spatially extensive areas in required quantities under satisfactory pressure. Cost-effectiveness and reliability in system design are also important.

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Figure 4.7: Piped water distribution network Source: Fieldwork, 2013

Water fetched from rivers may not be of good quality considering that the river serves many purposes. The most affected groups are those in the downstream, who have to fetch contaminated water. Contamination may be as a result of farm chemicals like fertilizers, animal waste having in mind that most livestock farmers water their livestock directly from the river or even from people washing clothes, a few meters from the point where others are fetching domestic water.

Plate 4.6: Nyangores River supports a wider range of human activities Source: Author, 2013

Surface water sources are unsafe because of their potential for contamination with human activities.

Figure 4.8: Nyangores River flow trend

The available river flows are important considerations for planners in determining among other things the water quality management strategies. Data obtained from the river gauging station at Bomet indicate a general decline in the amount of water flowing daily in the river. This is even worse during the dry periods of the year when more water is drawn to support agriculture. However, at an average flow of 16.7 m3 /y, this is adequate to serve the needs of the sub-catchment population in the present but as a resource use practices change, coupled with population increase, this may change for worse in the future and measures have to be put in place to manage such a challenge. Figure 4.8 shows the average annual river flows for the period 2005-2012.