Tsavo National Park Water Sources
TSAVO NATIONAL PARK WATER SOURCES
Tsavo National Park Water Sources : Tsavo national park is situated in Kenya’s south west, Tsavo national park is the biggest, largest and oldest national park in Kenya situated at 22, 000km2 (13,671 miles). Tsavo national park has been divided into the Tsavo East and Tsavo West National parks, the park is particularly well known for its large herds of elephants and the captivating landscapes, the Tsavo National park was established in 1948.
Tsavo West National park which is known as the ‘land of lava, springs, man- eaters and the magical sunset.’ Tsavo West is the second largest national park in Kenya covering a total land area of 9,065 square kilometres. Tsavo West national park is a rocky, mountainous park that is characterized by the rugged wilderness, scrublands, acacia woodlands and many more.
Tsavo East National park is the largest national park in Kenya covering a total land area of 13747 kilometres squared, the park is considered as the land of the great wilderness experience. Tsavo East National park is covered with the rocky bushes that are mostly dominated by the open savannah grasslands, acacia forests, riverine vegetation and among others to thrill while on Kenya Safaris Tours .
Tsavo National Park Water Sources.
Water sources means the aquifer water body including the stream, lake, reservoir, springs or any other related place where the water originates or got from that supports domestic purposes or the wildlife use.
Water sources in Tsavo west national park.
The main water source for the Tsavo West national park is Lake Jipe, which sradles the border with Tanzania, according to Kipongoso, its level had dropped 10 meters (33 feet) in a decade. Lake Jipe provides water for the wildlife species in the park like the lions, elephants and among others when they are thirsty.
Mzima springs.
This is a clear pool of water in Tsavo West National park which flows from underground and generates into a stream on the surface, it is a water source point which provides water to many animals like hippos and also known as a habitat for crocodiles, the source of water at Mzima springs is Chyulu hills and the springs are said to supply Mombasa with fresh water.
Tsavo East National Park.
Voi River.
An old man made this dam in the southern plains of the Tsavo East national park. Sitting on the Voi River, it serves as a valuable water source for the animals in the area, making it a good destination for game driving as well. Various animals come at the Voi River to get water such as the red elephants, rhino, lion, leopards, pods of hippo, waterbucks, lesser kudu, gerenuk and among more.
Aruba dam.
The Aruba dam is located on the Voi river, and on the southern end of Tsavo East national park, it is also less than an hour’s drive from the Mombasa- Nairobi highway and the railway. It said that it was constructed during the colonial period and there is a lodge next to it, with a jetty that extends into the dam itself, it serves as a valuable water source for the animals in the area.
Tsavo River.
It’s located in the coast province in Kenya, it runs East from the Western end of the Tsavo West National park of Kenya, near the border of Tanzania, until to joins with the Athi River and forming the Galana River near the centre of the park. This Tsavo River is the main contributor to the watershed of the lower portion of the park region and is a home to abundant fish.
Galana River.
Galana river is the second largest river in Kenya, after the Tana River. It has a total length of 390 kilometres (240mi) and drains an area of 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 sq. mi) the river rises in the Gatamaiyo forest as the Athi River enters the Indian ocean as the Galana River also known as Sabaki River. The river flows through the Tsavo East National park and attracts diverse wildlife, including hippopotamus and the crocodiles.
The Tiva River.
Tiva River is in the Tsavo National park in Kenya was lifeline during the desperately dry times in 1974, survival of the fittest meant that only the strongest survived the drought but surprisingly some animals chose to start a family, against all the odds. The Tiva never actually reaches the sea, but it serves a vital purpose in the North of Tsavo as the only water source for hundreds of miles, it may be a seasonal river, but it sustains life throughout the year and through the hardest of droughts.
Lugard Falls.
These are located on the Galana river of the southern Kenya and inside Tsavo east national park, they have an interesting ecosystem that make make up the falls, this where the hippos and crocodiles are found here and others can be watched here as well at times, Lugard falls acts as the water source in Tsavo national park because it supplies to the park and as well animals to sustain their lives them like the crocodiles.
However, the Tsavo national park for instance, the natural waterholes water sources have been mechanically enlarged to conserve water for the wildlife throughout the long dry season, the boreholes are used for topping up the reservoirs during the dry season.
