Geophysical Studies to Improve Groundwater Resource use in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Town Site
This project was aimed to provide a reliable water resource to the rapidly expanding Kakuma Refugee Camp and Town site, home to over 185,000 African war refugees. By using advanced geophysical technology including 2-D resistivity (ERT), MRI surveys and knowledge of local geology the team located drilling sites for 6 new wells
This project’s outcomes influenced The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) change of opinion about using geosciences to determine where to drill. Based on the results, UNHACR contracted with the project lead and his team to site and drill in the Rohingha Muslim Refugee Camp in Bangladesh, and about a new opportunity to do some additional work for the World Bank in the same area.
Another outcome of this project has been that the PI is now officially contracted on a project with the World Bank to advise on, and review an ongoing study for the development of sufficient water resources in Kakuma and Kalobeyei to develop a small scale agricultural economy. Besides simply improving the livelihoods of the 200,000 refugees in the Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps, this indicates a philosophical transformation, where UNHCR is now veering toward refugee camps growing their own food and becoming self-sufficient economic entities rather than simply receivers of aid in general and food rations in particular.
Project Partners
IsraAID, Faculty from the University of Calgary, refugees, local Turkana, geophysicists from WorleyParsons, Vista Clara and Kenyan Universities and Geophysicists
UNSDGs Addressed
SDG3 (Good health and wellbeing) and SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation for all)
