Securing access to water in Ngurunit

Ngurunit location lies in the foothills of the Ndoto Mountains in the semi-arid environment of Northern Kenya. The local Samburu and Rendille pastoralists live in scattered villages and depend on their livestock for milk, meat and other products. Water is a problem for both humans and livestock. Though many riverbeds cut through the foothills, most have no surface flow except during the twice-yearly heavy rains. These dry riverbeds provide most of the water for livestock and people when wells are dug at strategic points. During and after the rains water can be drawn from shallow holes dug in the riverbed. After the rainy season, when the area dries up, more extensive wells are dug deeper and deeper as the water level in the riverbed drops.