Kenya: Reducing health risks by improving maintenance of water points

MARALAL, Kenya [ACTED News] - In the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya, poor maintenance and management of water points, often shared between humans and animals, contributes to the unhygienic living conditions in the area. To tackle this situation and improve hygiene and sanitation in the area, ACTED teams have rehabilitated 12 water points and have created a Water Management Committee (WMC) for each site. The WMCs have all been trained by ACTED in management, operations and maintenance of the rehabilitated water points in order to ensure the cleanliness of the water points and to resolve any tensions around their usage. Proper oversight and maintenance of the water points is key to reducing health risks related to viral and waterborne diseases for the communities in the area. This project is supported by the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.