New Tech Tool Helps Farmers Control Water Levels in Kenyan River

An international research organization has developed a digital tool that helps the community in Ilula, Kenya save the Mara River from drying out.

For more than a decade, environmental groups have warned that population growth, illegal logging and overuse of the waters have led to a drastic drop in the river’s water levels.

In a drive to improve the southwestern community’s traditional efforts of conservation, the Empowering Lives International Centre has joined other local organizations with plans to add a technological touch to slowing the impact of drought.

The new method, run by the Stockholm Environment Institute, generates a digital forecast on the health and status of the river through a water evaluation and planning (WEAP) tool.

The user-friendly software provides and analyzes essential data related to the Mara River, and farmers can use the tool to report to other farmers or businesses who take too much water out of the river or do so without license.

“The data can be used to plan and allocate resources that help communities living there to adapt and build resilience [to climate change]”, says Tom Ogol at the Stockholm Environment Institute.