Yes, Jan - many of the methods of collecting rainwater are not new at all....but I guess in a country which has a long history of nomadic people traveling on to "greener pastures", it's still a new idea. Yes, there are cisterns at houses of the well-to-do, but the pastoralists who are now becoming stationary and settled...this is something they need help with implementing on a larger, village-wide scale.
Of course this won't make up for the destruction of the Mau Forest which has worked for thousands of years like a sponge, catching and holding billions of gallons of water during the rainy months and then releasing it gradually into the Mara and other important rivers that are vital to wildlife. Just saw a new "60-minutes" news program tonight about the Mara River now at its lowest level in living memory. This is because the growing human population in the Mau Forest have cut down most of the trees for charcoal and to create new wheat fields. The entire Masai Mara ecosystem depends on this river for its local and migrating wildlife. Things better change fast in Kenya or all we will have left are our memories of its once glorious wildlife.
In times of water emergencies in New York, my father too would put buckets at all the downspouts around the house to provide water his vegetable garden!
