A Sustainable Borehole Water System
In Kenya’s Meru County, water scarcity has a serious impact on the environment and quality of life. It leads to issues such as food insecurity, sanitation problems, increased migration, and loss of livestock, as well as conflict between the needs of people and wildlife, as elephants sometimes leave nearby parks in search of food and water near local communities.

Water has been scarce since at least the 1970s, when shortages briefly forced the hospital to close. At that time, a new water main was built to provide a fresh, clean, water supply drawn from a natural spring approximately 5km from the hospital.

Over the years, population growth and new infrastructure have increased demand, and the main has become a key source of water for the wider community. These pressures, and an intense drought (2021–2023), prompted the hospital to develop a new, sustainable borehole system which has improved the quality, availability, affordability, and accessibility of water.

The project has also produced sustainability benefits by combatting leak issues that affected the old supply. The borehole system project is a striking example of the effects of climate change and the resource issues created by climate adaptation, as the community has had to invest significant sums to mitigate climate impacts and meet basic needs.