The new Akiriamet [West Pokot Region, Kenya] sand dam, [completed on 04 April 2008 in ] is one of several either completed or being constructed in the more arid, water-challenged regions of Kenya and across the border in neighboring northern Uganda, as part of the African Water for Life/Water for Peace program of the global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS).
The sub-surface dams are a simple but highly effective technology that involves constructing a concrete dam under the surface of a dry riverbed. A sand dam, which costs about US$5,000 to construct, slows the flow of water in the riverbed during the rainy season, causing more water to sink into the sand, which produces an underground reservoir of clean water.
Sand dams can hold up to 2.6 million gallons of water and provide clean water for a thousand or more people, for livestock and for gardens.
Source: Reuters, 07 Apr 2008
