Read at :
http://www.acted.org/fr/node/4511
Mobile phones improve water resource management
Data collection teams are deployed to the field to visit water sites, record data, and send the information using mobile phones.
After weeks of mapping over 1,150 water resources in the East Pokot district and Samburu County of Kenya, all district and county planners now have access to current invaluable qualitative information from the district map books and online interactive maps that were produced. The information provided will help key stakeholders to plan more efficiently for prolonged dry periods and mitigate the impacts of drought to pastoral communities regarding water availability.
It is a hot day in Samburu County, and long trails of dust billow from behind the wheels of the vehicle, as an ACTED team moves about collecting information about water sources in the area. The task is not easy, owing to rough terrain, a poor road network, and remote locations of many areas they are trying to reach. In one instance, the team treks for seven kilometers into the bush, following a water pipe to its source – a spring in the hillside. Upon arrival, the team enters and sends data on their phones; this data will provide needed information on the state of water resources in this part of Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.
The region is prone to drought, and most people depend on seasonal dams and water pans for household and animal use. These sources of water don’t last long even during the dry seasons that occur from January to March, and June to September. At the same time, government and humanitarian actors have developed or rehabilitated water sources based on limited and outdated information on the most promising sites, sometimes causing more harm than good.
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