The Baricho boreholes project, a Sh791 million initiative supplying water to Kilifi and Mombasa counties, is 38% complete, according to Dr. Andrew Tuimur, Chief Administrative Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation.
Dr. Tuimur confirmed the project to protect boreholes from climate change-induced flooding will finish by November 2022. The system includes 11 boreholes capable of producing 90,000 cubic meters of water daily, currently operating at 70,000 cubic meters per day.
Located downstream of the Sabaki River at Lango Baya, the boreholes account for 64% of the Coast Water Works Development Agency’s total output. Developed in 1990 as an alternative to surface water from the Sabaki River, groundwater requires less chemical treatment than surface water.
The project involves abstraction, disinfection, and pumping via high-lift systems to Mombasa, Malindi, and Kilifi. Despite delays caused by pandemic-related supply chain issues from China, the government has urged contractor China Railway No 10 Engineering Group to accelerate work.
The ministry is managing 695 water projects nationwide to improve water supply. Before distribution, water undergoes testing for acidity, mineral content, and chlorine levels, then treated in five-million-liter storage tanks.
