County embarks on ambitious plan to reclaim riparian land  – Kenya News Agency

Trans Nzoia County Government has set out measures to help reclaim water catchment areas in a bid to mitigate adverse effects of climate change.

Speaking during the commemoration of World Environment Day at Lumuli Primary School in Sirende Ward, Trans Nzoia County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Water, Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Pepela Wanjala urged the public to take a lead role in reclamation of riparian land.

As he advised the public to help spread the gospel of tree protection in water catchment areas, the CECM cautioned against activities that contribute to land degradation such as deforestation, grazing and farming a long river banks.

Although planting of trees is just one step geared towards ensuring that the environment is protected, the CECM noted that the biggest task lies in nurturing the trees for posterity.

“I take pride in all those who have owned this initiative and have decided to drive it forward, I appeal to you all to further make it a daily routine. Let us protect this dam and other water catchment areas by planting more trees and nurturing them to maturity. Moving forward, we need to stop grazing of cattle in our forests for the trees we are planting to grow to maturity,” he said.

Present during the exercise was the Chief Officer Dorothy Nyukuri who stated that the county has set in place plans for a riparian pegging process aimed at enforcing a 30-meters off riparian land regulation, adding that once fully enforced, rivers and other water sources will be protected.

She revealed that Lumuli, Karara, Wamuini and Misian dams will undergo rehabilitation in an effort to help diversify and boost agricultural productivity adding that farmers who live near water bodies and mountainous areas like Mount Elgon and Cherengany Hills will be trained on bee keeping and be given beehives to enable them gain an extra coin.

This action she said will be like using one stone to kill two birds since by maintaining the bee hives, cultivation along the river banks will considerably reduce thus helping to protect the environment, besides the cash the farmers will get by selling honey and other bee products.

Trans Nzoia County Director National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Stanley Ambasa noted that adverse climate changes being experienced the world over are as a result of human activities.

“As we celebrate this World Environment Day, we seriously need to think of the adverse effects human activities have caused on the environment. Floods which almost brought the country to a standstill a few weeks ago were as a result of deforestation. Lumuli Dam is one of the natural resources exposed to destructive human activities. We need to join hands to ensure that these resources are rehabilitated,” he said.

In an effort to help achieve the 11.9 million annual county tree planting targets, stakeholders used the occasion to plant more than 3000 seedlings.

By Sheila Kirui and Isaiah Nayika