UNC Water and Health Conference Poster: Assessing Causal Effects of Rural Water System Breakdowns in Northern Kenya

Authors: June Samo (Program Director, RAPID+ Program), Emmanuel Olela (MERL Manager), and Jason Lopez (Deputy Director), The Millennium Water Alliance (MWA)

Key Takeaways

Frequent breakdowns in borehole water systems in Northern Kenya are severely impacting water access, especially in drought-prone areas, due to extended repair times and reliance on external funding. Addressing these issues requires improved maintenance, better financing, and increased community involvement to make water systems more resilient.

• Breakdown Hotspots: Motors and pumps are the most failure-prone components, causing significant disruptions.
• Lengthy Repairs: Average repair times are high, reaching up to 75 days in some areas.
• Financial Dependence: Local governments and aid agencies cover almost half of repair costs, underscoring a heavy reliance on external funding.
• Recommendations for Improvement: Stocking critical spare parts locally, training operators in maintenance, and fostering community ownership could reduce downtime and improve sustainability.

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Background

In the arid regions of Northern Kenya, small-scale borehole water supply systems are a lifeline for many communities and their livestock, especially during the drought season when alternative water sources are scarce. Unfortunately, these systems frequently break down, and repairs can take over a week to complete. This delay in restoring functionality severely impacts water access in the region, heightening the vulnerability of communities already facing water scarcity.

In response to these challenges, the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) conducted a comprehensive assessment to identify the root causes of frequent borehole breakdowns, assess repair times, and understand the broader implications for water management in the region. The study focused on boreholes in key counties of Northern Kenya, such as Marsabit, Garissa, Isiolo, Turkana, and Wajir. Data were gathered through a combination of surveys with borehole operators and interviews with key informants, including members of the Borehole Rapid Response Team (BRRT) and spare part suppliers.

Methods and Approach

The MWA employed a mixed-methods approach to gather detailed insights. A quantitative survey was administered to borehole operators at 264 sites across multiple counties. These findings were triangulated with key informant interviews conducted with members of the BRRT, local government officials, and private spare parts suppliers. This provided a comprehensive view of the challenges faced in maintaining the continuous functionality of boreholes.

The questions in the survey were designed to pinpoint the specific borehole components most prone to failure, identify how long it took to respond to recent breakdowns, and explore who paid for the necessary repairs. Focus group discussions were also conducted to add further context and depth to the findings.

Results

Key Findings

1. Motors and Pumps Are Most Prone to Failure: The assessment revealed that motors and submersible pumps are the most frequent points of failure, accounting for 40.21% and 26.46% of breakdowns, respectively. These two components are critical to the boreholes’ operation, as they are responsible for drawing water from underground sources. Data from the key informant interviews with spare part suppliers confirmed that motors and pumps were the most commonly requested spare parts, highlighting the scale of the problem. When these components failed, they were also more time-consuming to repair compared to other parts of the borehole system.
2. Repair Times Are Lengthy: The time taken to repair a broken borehole component varied across the counties studied, with the average repair time being around 63.9 days. For example, Marsabit had an average repair time of 46.8 days, while Turkana took the longest at 75 days. These long delays in repair disrupt water access, especially in drought-prone areas where water scarcity is already a critical issue.
3. Repair Costs Often Covered by Local Governments: Despite being community-operated, the financial responsibility for repairing expensive components like motors and pumps frequently fell to local governments or development organizations. This is due to the high cost of these parts, which many communities cannot afford on their own. As a result, the community’s dependence on external financial assistance often led to delays in the repair process, further prolonging the disruption in water access.
4. Cost Responsibility Varies: The study also found that around 48.9% of repairs were financed by local governments, while 22.1% were covered by development partners, and the remainder was split between communities, NGOs, and private companies. This suggests that there is a heavy reliance on external support, which raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of these water systems.

Implications and Recommendations

1. Stocking Critical Spare Parts: The study highlights the importance of ensuring that spare part suppliers in Northern Kenya stock key components, particularly motors and submersible pumps. By having these parts readily available, repair times could be significantly reduced, allowing for quicker restoration of water services.
2. Training and Preventative Maintenance: Providing targeted training to borehole operators and BRRT members on the maintenance of these vulnerable components could reduce the frequency of breakdowns. Simple preventative maintenance routines could extend the lifespan of critical components, lowering the likelihood of system failure.
3. Strengthening Governance and Financing: The findings emphasize the need for local governments to establish more sustainable and effective financing mechanisms for borehole repairs. The reliance on external funding from development agencies or local governments can create delays. Local authorities should ensure that adequate resources are set aside for immediate repairs to minimize downtime.
4. Community Engagement and Ownership: The reliance on local governments for costly repairs highlights a need for more sustainable models of community ownership and management. Engaging communities in planning, budgeting, and maintaining their water systems could help foster greater accountability and ensure the long-term sustainability of these systems.

This research underscores the urgency of addressing the frequent breakdowns in rural water systems in Northern Kenya. By focusing on improving the maintenance of vulnerable components, strengthening governance, and ensuring adequate funding for repairs, these water systems can become more reliable and resilient. In doing so, thousands of people in these drought-prone areas will have better access to a critical resource—clean, reliable water—throughout the year.

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