Problems faced by people living in desert regions

Desert and semi-desert climate type of climate is mainly found in the sub-tropical belt. These areas include Karamoja, Turkana land, and Chalbi desert in Northern Kenya

Problems faced by people living in desert regions

• Inadequate/limited supply of surface water for livestock and human consumption.
• Shortage of pasture for livestock rearing leading to nomadism.
• Infertile soils which don’t support crop growing.
• Low and unreliable rainfall which limits growth of crops and vegetation.
• Excessively high temperatures during the day making settlements difficult.
• Very cold nights due to absence of cloud cover.
• Desert areas are remote due to absence of road network.

• Limited supply of food leading to frequent famine.
• Sandstorms due to strong winds are common leading to loss of lives and poor visibility.
• Small population makes it difficult to provide social services.
• Temporary flooding due to torrential downpours.
• Overcrowding near oases, rivers and water points.
• Shortage of labour and market due to small and sparse population.

Solutions to the above problems

• Construction of valley dams to help store water for pastoralists.
• Irrigation farming to improve food production and reduce famine.
• Planting of trees to help in climate modification through rainfall formation.

• Use of machines especially where labour is not enough.
• Educating pastoralists about the dangers of bush burning.
• Extending social services to attract big population and encourage people to settle down.
• Resettlement of people away from congested areas e.g. oases and river valleys.
• Encouraging tourism to acquire revenue for development of social services.

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