Southern Ewaso Ng’iro River dried up
The dry season in Kenya generally runs from December through February/March depending on the region. In the South Rift, where Lale’enok Resource Centre is located, the altitude is around 600 m and the dry season can be very long. It has not rained since November this year, and March has been extremely hot and dry with temperatures soaring up to 40 °C during the day. Apart from trees such as the Thorn Acacia (Vachellia tortilis) and the Toothbrush Tree (Salvadora persica) which have long taproots to reach the deep water table and the ability to store water, the land is completely devoid of grass and extremely dusty.
Dust is picked up by the slightest wind gust and hot air updrafts suck up the dust in whirlwinds which meander through the landscape like tornadoes. The dry season while being part of the normal climate cycle, is a testing period for wildlife, livestock, and people. As the dry season advances, grasses so essential for cattle become scarcer and scarcer, and water becomes harder to find. Wildlife including predators such as hyenas, lions, leopards, and grazers like zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, as well as elephants, travel long distances in search of water and cooler areas. At sunrise, lions quickly escape to cooler areas as the hot dry air swiftly replaces the coolness of the night in the early morning hours.
The drought is so severe this year that the Ewaso Ngiro River is almost completely dried up with only small stagnant pools of water remaining for the livestock. The river which normally flows down to Lake Natron, on the border with Tanzania, the most important lesser flamingo breeding ground in the region, is not reaching the lake. Most cattle have been moved to grazing areas in the Nguruman escarpment where the climate is cooler. For the few remaining cattle, it is a constant battle to keep hydrated and avoid starvation. For people this represents major challenges too, as proper drinking water is only available in areas within reach of the water pipes coming down from the escarpment catchment area. In some Maasai communities, people are walking cattles drinking the stagnant watervery long distances up to 15 km to reach the few remaining stagnant pools of water in the Ewaso Ngiro. During these past few days however signs that the dry season is finally coming to an end have appeared. Rain clouds with thunder in the distance have brought much needed shade to the areas and there has even been a few passing showers. While providing no water relief, we are hopeful that the rains will come soon towards the end of March.
