Inside Meru village that survives on mist harvesting

Mercy Nkatha, a resident of Tiri village in Mutuati some 71 kilometres from Meru town, walks briskly towards a giant eucalyptus tree near her home and carefully inspects jerricans placed on its base.

A polythene sheet tied with a string on the base of the tree is directed into the jerricans, ready to tap water.

The string tied at the base of the tree directs condensed mist or rain showers into the jerricans by the plastic sheet.

Welcome to the hilly Tiri village, where women have turned into mist harvesters as water becomes unaffordable and scarce. 

Here, the tall and huge trees are water reservoirs. 

They prefer eucalyptus trees due to their straight trunk and smooth bark allowing more condensed mist to run down to the base.

For ages, the residents have been using the ingenious way of getting water by harvesting falling mist from the base of eucalyptus trees on the hill.

A public running water tap is alien and natural water sources are unheard of to the more than 2,000 residents of Tiri village.

Ms Nkatha’s jerricans have not fetched anything for many nights now since the weather is erratic and mist no longer forms in the area.

However, on a good misty night or during light rains, Ms Nkatha, in her 40s, says she can collect up to 100 litres of water from one tree.

“The nearest borehole is located about 10 kilometres away. When there’s no mist to harvest, we rely on private water vendors who sell a 20-litre jerrican at Sh20.”

“Now that we cannot afford to buy water, mist harvesting is our only savior. If there is no mist, we are hopeless,” Ms Nkatha says.

A peasant farmer, Ms Nkatha lives off farming. When there are rains, residents here enjoy a bumper harvest of beans whose proceeds are able to sustain the families.

The locals here call the hill ‘Ruuma Ngai’ which means ‘a place where the mist falls like rain’.

But Tiri is no longer living up to the name.

Ms Fridah Kanana, another resident, says they are doomed and condemned to poverty without the rain and mist.

Ms Kanana says they have lost their harvest of maize and beans for the last four years and the miraa crop no longer does well, dealing a blow to their only sources of income.

Due to erratic rains, they successfully harvested water from the trees in December last year.

“We expect some mist between June and July when the weather gets colder. In the meantime, we have to bear with the thirsty days. Since I cannot afford Sh20, I buy just enough water to keep us alive. Bathing and washing clothes is an occasion,” Ms Kanana says.

According to Ms Nkatha, the water shortage also has a bearing on school attendance and performance.

“If I do not have enough water, I avoid washing my children's uniform to save water for cooking and drinking. The children cannot go to school in dirty clothes,” she says.

The water shortage is so dire that Tiri Primary school, which invested in five water tanks, is staring at thirsty days ahead.

Only one tank has some water that will not last them more than two weeks. The school hosts 425 learners in primary and junior secondary schools comprising 225 girls and 200 boys.

Ms Charity Kanocia, the head teacher, says water poverty is a major impediment to education especially among girls.

“Once the school runs out of water, we will be relying on parents to buy water and deliver it to us. However, the parents are also struggling to afford water for their households due to prolonged drought. We have had pupils coming to school dirty and we have to wash them,” Ms Kanocia said.

She noted that many pupils, especially girls, do not return to school after the lunch break as they are tasked with fetching water at home.

“Some pupils are not able to come back after lunch because of lack of food. Maintaining cleanliness among children is also a tall order. If pupils are not settled at home, they cannot concentrate in class,” the head teacher noted.

She notes that as the drought situation escalates, pupils skip school as they help their parents in searching for water.

Tiri village manager John Mutethia confirms that many children often fail to attend school due to scarcity of water at home.

“The mist has been a source of reprieve for this village. Without it, water is out of reach for many families. Tiri Primary school cannot afford to buy water for the more than 400 pupils. This is why we need a school feeding programme funded by the government,” Mr Mutethia says.

Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (Pacja) associate Joseph M’Eruaki, who is also a former MP for Igembe North, said the existing boreholes are insufficient to cater for the close to 170,000 residents.

“People still walk very long distances to get water because there is no natural water source in Igembe North. The government should come up with a deliberate plan to address water poverty,” Mr M’Eruaki said.

He notes that hydrological surveys done in 2014 show that there is sufficient underground water at Thuru, Mukululu and Maili Tatu areas.

“The aquifers can be tapped through high-yielding boreholes. The water is then stored in tanks and piped to the needy areas of Igembe Central and Igembe North. The government can rely on the existing supply infrastructure by Tuuru Water Supply company,” he advises.

Mr M’Eruaki says the construction of water pans, particularly for irrigation, will go a long way in mitigating crop failure.

According to Amwathi MCA Thuranira Mutungi there are seven boreholes in the expansive ward but only four are functional.

“Tiri, Leeta, and Kiolo villages are in dire need of water. Two boreholes run out of water while one has a faulty pump. I am engaging the county executive to draw a borehole drilling plan. The ward needs an extra eight boreholes to reduce suffering,” Mr Mutungi said.

According to the National Drought Management Authority’s (NDMA) early warning bulletin, the distance trekked by residents of Igembe North in search of water doubled to 10.6 kilometres in January compared to 5.2 kilometres in December 2022.

The bulletin further indicates that residents of Igembe North are paying 10 times more per 20-litre jerricans of water compared to other parts of Meru.

Ms Nkatha’s hope is that the government intervenes by providing affordable water for Tiri residents.

In the meantime, she keeps staring at the heavens praying for a misty night or some light showers on Tiri hill.

This story has been done with support from Journalists for Human Rights (Jhr)

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