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The lack of water is certainly one of the biggest concerns in Borana homeland. Their two most important resources – water and land – are shared fairly among the tribe using a unique system of indigenous management known as the Gada system.

The Borana are traditionally semi-nomadic pastoralists, who depend exclusively on their livestock for subsistence, and whose lives revolve around the cattle. Thus traditional wells are vital to the Borana, especially during the dry season when they provide water for the animals and people.

In Marsabit people maintain six wells, each community owning one of them. All are well protected with iron and locks. This kind of wells are called "singing well" because people drawing out water sing during their hard work.

First men come down using a wood branch inside the well like a ladder. After forming a human chain they pass buckets from hand to hand and fill in the top level of holes from which in turn the water flows to channels where animals drink it in a perfect organization.
There is a loud chorus of singing, which keeps the rhythm going; the yellow and black buckets are lowered and raised at a memorizing pace and the troughs are gradually filled at the mouth of the well.

Then women bring cattle and donkey. They also use the last ones to hall it back home in large yellow containers.

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