Abstract
Water directly contributes to economic growth and poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The urban population of small towns in Sub-Saharan Africa is 2000 to 50,000. They often fall within a management gap due to their mix of rural and urban socio-economic characteristics. The study was guided by three objectives around investigating the ease of accessibility, reliability and perceived quality of available water. This is in relation to the various uses as per the sources and the coping strategies during drought periods. The 2010 Kenyan constitution resulted in counties and sub-counties as the county headquarters. The headquarters have subsequently developed in small and medium sized towns. Awasi is an urban centre and the headquarters of Nyando Sub-County, with as population growth rate of 7.4%. This is evidenced by KNBS national census reports (2010 and 2022) on various towns including Awasi urban centre. However, town lacks formal water acquisition plans and capacity to set up piped water infrastructures. This means underground and surface water sources. The study used qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to investigate the various sources of water in Awasi town, the related uses, and coping mechanisms during water shortages. The sample size was 161 households and selected business based on the list of registered business from Nyando Sub-county. There was a set of household questionnaires and guiding questions for businesses, focusing on their water sources during normal and drier seasons. The tools used were spatial images, interview schedules, and business and household questionnaires. Qualitative data was coded and statistically analyzed, along with the qualitative data. This was used to illustrate graphically, the various patterns and results of the study. This further informed the recommendations. From this, the study found the main water sources to be borehole and rooftop rainwater harvesting. The availability of water from these main sources depends on adequate rainfall amounts. Additionally, dry seasons often indicate water scarcity and therefore, greater distances and more money used to acquire the resource. From the data gathered, the study concluded that the town’s infrastructure development, like sanitation services is curtailed by the lack of proper water supply mechanisms. This indicates an urgent need for proper physical planning, including water supply.
Keywords
Small and Medium Sized towns, Urban Planning, Water acquisition and Supply, Smart cities
Citations
IRE Journals:
Lydia Mercy Guda
"Water Planning and Acquisition Strategies in Awasi Urban Centre, Kisumu County Kenya" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 9 2025 Page 1102-1111
IEEE:
Lydia Mercy Guda
"Water Planning and Acquisition Strategies in Awasi Urban Centre, Kisumu County Kenya" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(9)
About IRE Journals
IRE Journals is an open access online journals established with an aim to publish high quality of research work in various diciplines. We have more than 6 years in publications. Over 2500+ papers already published.
Important Links
For Authors
Volume 7:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 6:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 5:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 4:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12Volume 3:
Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3, Issue 4, Issue 5, Issue 6, Issue 7, Issue 8, Issue 9, Issue 10, Issue 11, Issue 12