Trans Nzoia County residents have been urged to conserve the environment by ensuring they use correct waste disposal methods especially along areas bordering rivers and river banks to avoid further degradation of the natural settings.
Speaking at Saiwa wildlife camp in Cherangany constituency, NEMA director Ayub Macharia said residents need to conserve river Saiwa which is facing degradation due to neglect and poor management by residents.
He called urged residents to conserve water sources and catchment areas in order for them to later access clean water, which is safe for use in the county and nation as a whole.
On the other hand, the CEC for Environment and Natural Resources in Trans Nzoia County Maurice Lokwaliwa appealed to residents to avoid farming activities along the riverbanks given that the activities pose a threat to the water bodies and residents that directly benefit from them. He added that spraying of crops along the river banks has also been an issue, and it’s also been detrimental to human health.
On his part, the principal investigator of the Water Tower Programme Wanjiru Manyatta from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) said soil erosion, overfishing, grazing, and pollution are threatening the future of wetlands and exacerbate the impact of climate change.
Manyatta said that wetlands are being destroyed at an alarming rate and stressed the urgent need for the fragile ecosystem to be restored. “Wetlands support various key economic pillars such as water services, agriculture and tourism,” said Manyatta.
Trans Nzoia county is one of 11 counties which will benefit from the European union(EU) funding of Kshs. 3.6 billion shillings for the Water tower protection programme and climate change mitigation.
The Water tower protection programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENRI), the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Kenya Water Towers Agency (KWTA).
