In the semi-arid Mwingi District in Eastern Kenya, Joseph Ututu and his three brothers have revolutionized the local water supply by digging wells and constructing a wind-pump. The ingenious pump, constructed from old bicycle parts and roofing materials was designed by Joseph Ututu after spending four years at a technical college. These wells have solved the brother’s water problems and provided substantial additional income. Since they began, more than 30 wells have been dug by neighbours.
Background
Evidence suggests that in rural development, initiatives often take a stronger root when they have been “discovered” locally, rather than introduced from elsewhere. That shouldn’t mean an end to the propagation of sustainable technologies, but it does perhaps suggest that stimulating people to solve their own problems may lead to more lasting solutions. But first it is essential to recognise exactly what problems need to be resolved.
Threat: Water shortage
In semi-arid Mwingi District, almost all farmland is rainfed. The main crops are cereals (maize, sorghum and millet) and legumes (pigeon peas, beans and cowpeas) with occasional fruit trees and bananas. There is scarcely any irrigated land at all. Soil erosion, low rainfall and drought are major threats to crop production. Data from the District Headquarters at Mwingi town confirm the water problems, which are domestic as well as agricultural.
It is estimated that only one family in five has piped water. Most other families still dig for their dry-season water in sandy river beds, taking their water home in plastic jerrycans loaded on donkeys. This can mean a six-hour round trip daily, with two donkeys carrying 80 litres of water for a single household.
Searching for solutions
The four Ututu brothers had inherited a large area of fertile farmland, which had been terraced by their father in the late 1950s. Despite this resource, they were experiencing problems because they lacked water both for drinking (meaning wasted time, fetching water from 15 km away in the dry season) and for irrigation (thus low yields from the meagre rainfall). Luckily however, in the early 1990s they were told of a neighbouring church that had sent some local youths to be trained in well digging. The Ututus were intrigued by the possibility that there might be water lying beneath their land that could be tapped, and employed the group of newly trained youths to help them explore for underground water.
Success
The first successful well was dug in 1997 and water was found at a depth of 10 metres. Since then the Ututus have excavated a further four wells. One of the brothers, Joseph Ututu, had spent four years at technical college where he designed a working wind-pump for one of the wells. He and his brothers constructed the moving parts mainly from spare bicycle tyres, and made the sails from corrugated iron roofing sheets. Joseph is particularly proud of the enclosed pulley mechanism, which has so far worked for six years without maintenance. The wind-pump is fixed in position and faces the prevailing wind. At night, when the wind picks up, the sails turn very fast, clanking and creaking as they turn. One thousand litres can be pumped in this way overnight, and stored in a tank.
Income boost
While it may seem extraordinary that wells had not be “discovered” in this part of Kenya until the last decade or so, the Ututu brothers have certainly capitalized on their initiative. There is a good market for water, and from the income earned they have managed to educate all their children. They have also raised vegetables for food and for sale on a small horticultural plot close to the wells. Since they began, more than 30 wells have been dug by neighbours.
Support
Wells and wind-pumps are hardly revolutionary technologies; nevertheless their development by the Ututus has revolutionized the local water supply. This highlights the fact that there may be obvious natural resource potential – in this case water and wind – that lies unexploited. With improved technical knowledge, people gain the tools to make the most of their own imaginative design capability to solve local problems in the most relevant way. We should therefore recognize and encourage initiative where it occurs, and support such creativity with “scientific” knowledge.
Source: LEISA, April 2005
For more information please contact:
William Critchley, Coordinator
Resource Development Unit
Centre for International Cooperation CIS
De Boelelaan 1105 – 2G
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands.
email :WRS.Critchley@dienst.vu.nl
This article builds on one of the case studies first presented in:
- Critchley W., Brommer M. 2003. Innovation and infiltration: human ingenuity in the face of water shortage in India and Kenya. Paper presented to the Int. Symposium on Water, Poverty and Productive Uses of Water at the Household Level, Johannesburg, January 2003. Website: http://www.irc.nl
