Rochdale Rotary Club help with Kenyan conservation project

Top: Local children
Bottom: The completed sand dam

Members of Rochdale Rotary Club have helped with water conservation in Kenya by aiding the construction of a sand dam.

Sand dams are steel reinforced concrete walls built across a seasonal sandy river bed.

Through the Sand Dams Charity, a recent donation of £6,500 enabled the dam to be built.

A concrete wall has now been built across a seasonal sandy river bed in the Kibwezi district. This will allow the build up of a mixture of sand and water during the rainy season. This is much more resistant to evaporation in the Kenyan dry seasons.

Villagers and community members from the area were involved with the building of the dam so now, when rain water fills it, locals can draw water either through scoop holes in the sand or via filtration galleries leading to pipes or taps.

The dam will also be used for tree nurseries, vegetables and other plant growing. It is also hoped it will maintain seed banks for future planting.

Water from the dam will also go on to fill three school water tanks ensuring children can access clean water at school.

The Wikwato wa Kiambani Group secretary Mwanthi Nuvi said: “The group intend to plant trees in their farms to make their surroundings green and breathe fresh air. Very few trees survive in such an arid areas without water being available. Water from the sand dam enables tree seedlings to be germinated and grown in nurseries, meaning that they are strong enough to be planted in fields successfully when the rain arrives.”

Upon completion of the dam, members of Rochdale Rotary Club received a very appreciative thank you letter from the local people benefiting from the dam.

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