^8 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



attempted, but Mr. E.J. Wayland, Director of the department, 

 is pressing for such a study, as an essential basis for the drilHng 

 and well-sinking programme. Wayland and his staff have con- 

 tributed much data concerning hydrology in other parts of Uganda, 

 particularly in relation to changes towards drier conditions which 

 have taken place in recent geological times, and the possibility of 

 these being continued into the future. This subject, and also the 

 hydrology of the great lakes of eastern Africa, is intimately related 

 to meteorological conditions, and the question whether precipita- 

 tion and evaporation are subject to cyclical changes. These matters 

 are considered in Chapter IV. 



In Kenya, this branch of work has been impeded by the concen- 

 tration of the geological staff on minerals. A. Beeby Thompson 

 (1929) has discussed the water problems facing the colony and 

 H. L. Sikes (1934) has given an account of the known facts 

 regarding underground water resources. Scientific surveys of 

 underground water are badly needed in native reserves and 

 especially in the more or less arid country in the Northern Fron- 

 tier and Turkana provinces. Since 1928 the public works depart- 

 ment has had a dozen or more power drills in operation, and the 

 extension of this service is expected to open up large areas of land 

 now almost valueless through lack of water. It is becoming realized 

 in Kenya, moreover, that many parts of the native reserves lie in 

 poorly watered country where if possible river irrigation would be 

 a benefit. This was stressed by the reports of the Carter Land 

 Commission and of the Tana River Expedition of 1934. In the 

 latter, Messrs. Harris and Sampson (1935) surveyed the possibili- 

 ties and conclude tentatively that the irrigation of the flood valley 

 itself is out of the question, but a case seems to exist for an irriga- 

 tion canal in the upper Tana valley. It is significant that, in 

 view of the inadequacy of existing maps, no definite conclusion 

 can be reached until a satisfactory land survey, as well as a soil 

 survey, has been made.^ 



In British Somaliland water-boring operations were started in 

 1930 under a grant by the Colonial Development Fund with the 

 object of opening up grazing areas which at present can be used 

 only for a short time during the rainy season, and discovering 



* See above. Chapter ii. 



