Kenya's bid to have food secured nation and powered households robs residents depending on the Tana river basin.
An assessment of the impact of large infrastructural interventions dubbed the economics of ecosystem services of the Tana river basin says that the current developments along Tana River basin though has positive impacts,has serious negative effects for people relying on it.
Launched on September 29 at Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel by Wetlands International,the two year study says the million acres that the government intends to put under irrigation will reduce overall water resources in the lower Tana.
Fishing,agriculture and livestock are sectors likely to be affected by high grand fall dam project precipitating water related conflict and hence instability,the report says.
Kenya has a deficit of 20 million bags of maize annually and has been stepping up measures to bridging the gap through irrigation.
The government has planted close to 2,000 acres of maize,in part of the 10,000 acre model farm that forms the first phase of the Galana-Kulalu one million acre food security project, which is one of the Jubilee’s flagship projects.
Tana river is Kenya's longest river originating from two major towers,Mount Kenya and Aberdares covering 22 percent of country's total land mass and a home to 18 percent of country's population.
The basin contributes over 50 percent of country's river discharge to the western Indian ocean with the Nairobi residents getting 80 percent of drinking water from the basin.
The ecosystem in Tana river basin is vital for human well being and economic development such as drinking water,hydroelectric power,fisheries,agriculture as well as biodiversity,all depending on the amount of water available.
Ecosystems in Tana river basin includes forests,arid and semi-arid lands,mountain vegetation,fresh water and wetlands,marine and coastal areas providing a range of ecosystem goods and services.
The river basin is now facing a number of challenges potentially undermining the continuous provision of ecosystem services.
According to the assessment,the upper catchment is threatened as more land is allocated to farming while poor farming practices have also led to soil erosion and pollution of the river.
Water resources according to the report are earmarked for water supply to mega project such as Lamu port city among other projects something envisaged to lead to over-abstraction of water in the basin.
President Uhuru Kenyatta uses the plough tractor during the Official Ground breaking Ceremony for the National Food Security Project: Galana/ Kulalu Model Farm at Galana in Tana River County.Photo/PSCU
Similarly,the study pokes holes on government’s bid to supply her citizenry with cheap power by building massive high grand fall dams.
Through the Last Mile Connectivity initiative which is being implemented to the tune of Sh62.5 billion,Kenya has also rolled out an initiative aimed at powering more households.
The study says the negative effects of high grand fall dams often outweigh the positive effects of the dams upstream.
This outcome,the study says, does not however imply that high grand fall dams should not be developed but instead calls for further investigations of the extend to which alternative dam management regimes could mitigate the negative effects of high grand fall dams.
Under Vision 2030 Kenya aims to transit into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment.
"The study shows that several planned developments projects fall short in terms of economic efficiency,"the study says.
The study however does not provide an immediate alternative for basic economic services as it was beyond its scope.
According to the study,even though the construction of existing dams generated abundant benefits,the downstream region experienced reduced agricultural productivity and increased health complications.
It found out that Mangrove trees within the river Tana basin is worth Sh 213 million.
Wetlands international programme manager Julie Mulonga said the poor are normally the most affected by destruction of ecosystem.
"Ignoring nature has a price,"Mulonga said.
Mulonga said the ecosystem is directly linked to the 17 sustainable development goals.
On September 25 last year, countries adopted a set of goals to
end poverty,
protect the planet, and
ensure prosperity for all
as part of a
new sustainable development agenda.
Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.
Wetlands international officer from the Netherlands Frank Van Weert,Joakim Harlin from UNEP office Nairobi attended the launch.
The study was build around four scenarios.
The first Scenario is premised on the fact that there is no dams within the basin.The scenario according to the study does not serve as realistic alternative for the current development of the Tana basin as it does provide useful comparative context for reflecting on question whether past decisions to build dams and irrigation schemes has increased welfare in the basin.
Scenario two represents the current scenario where there are a total of five hydropower dams;Masinga,Kamburu,Kindaruma,Gitaru and Kiambere have been constructed providing almost three quarters of national energy demand.Additionally,two more dams have been constructed at in Chania(Sasumua) and Thika which supply water to Nairobi.
Scenario 2a represents a future situation in which the high grand falls dam is completed and additional irrigation in Bura,Hola, and the Delta is established.
The high grand fall dam is a flag ship project for the government within the national priority-flood management,power generation,and supply of irrigation,drinking and industrial water.
The last scenario(2b) envisages a situation whereby another one million acres of irrigated land for which water is extracted from the high grand falls dam reservoir.
The study says with the intervention of the high grand fall dam, and its related large scale irrigation schemes,there is a potential to change hydrological system dramatically.
Hydrological system is a system of interrelated components, including the processes of precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, groundwater flow and stream flow.
"The proposed dam alone will be responsible for the significant decrease in flood events in the middle of the catchment area(65 percent in Garissa),while the construction of high grand falls irrigation schemes alone will diminish a vast amount of flood events in the lower catchment area,"the study says.
The study says the combined effects of complete high grand fall dam project,impacts
the amount of flood events the most,with a decline of 65 percent in the middle catchment area in Garissa,with 12-19 percent in lower catchment area in Nanigi and Garsen and with 8 percent at river outlet in Kipini.
According to the study,the magnitude of dampening effect on discharge of Masinga and the high grand fall dam significantly reduces the seasonal signal.
"The hydrological analysis also shows that with large extraction of water to the million of acres irrigation,overall water resources at Garissa are greatly reduced,almost to a constant level of natural minimum flow with hardly a flood peak left,"the study says.
According to the study,the upper catchment area of the basin is the most degraded as a result of poor agricultural practices.
Wildlife and livestock grazing are main causes of degradation at the middle catchment area,according to the study.
"Although the lower catchment is least degraded,it is likely to be affected the most as a result of changes in the water flow regime,"the report says.
The basin harvested 791,338 kg of fish in 2013 and with modal price of selling 1 kg of fish for Sh 100,the total annual fish values was Sh 79,133,800.
Irrigated agriculture according to the study has potential to produce 64,000 tons of rice and maize per year while the benefits of hydropower is between US $ 25-43 per year as compared to alternative natural gas or geothermal generation.
According to the study,upstream counties such as Nairobi and Kirinyaga benefit the most from the basin.
"For each dollar invested in the current dams,eigth dollars were returned in terms of electricity and water benefits within the county,"the study says.
The study says the positive effects in upstream counties are less pronounced in a scenario future situation in which the high grand falls dam is completed and additional irrigation in Bura,Hola, and the Delta is established (scenario 2a) and a scenario whereby another one million acres of irrigated land for which water is extracted from the high grand falls dam reservoir(scenario 2b) yet benefits outweigh the cost.
"The losers of current dams are the counties in Kitui,Tana river and Isiolo.All down stream counties suffer from million acres projects,except Tana river county where most of the planned irrigation is scheduled to take place,"the report says.
The study also poked holes on the manner in which various ministries concerned for not availing enough awareness and knowledge regarding high grand fall dam project saying information reaching stakeholders was insufficient.
"This lack of awareness and knowledge especially affects the primary stakeholders who have the greatest dependency on the Tana river. Despite this primary stake,it turned out that these stakeholders have no opportunity to influence the HGF dam project ,"it says.
Water Resource Management Authority Tana river regional manager Geoffrey Wachira said water quantity and quality must be safeguarded.
"In 2011 to 2014,we partnered with United nations environment programme where they supported the implementation of sub-catchment management plan prepared by water users association,"he said.
Wachira said the capacity
of the selected water resource users' association was build through various activities such as a training manual on ecosystem management.
"Phase two from 2013 to 2013 was geared towards reviewing the catchment management strategy,"he said adding that the management strategy needed to be reviewed to capture the emerging issues.
Wachira said the Tana river basin needs up to date techniques and technology to improve its water resource management.
"Right to water is a right in constitution.We have to determine environmental flow to sustain live and environment,"he said.
According to the study,high grand fall dam involves many costs that the decision makers do not take into account.
The study says the distribution cost and benefits proved to be unequal;the population downstream of HGF dam except farmers attached to national irrigation board mainly incur cost without being able to exert influence on the decision.
According to the study,several decision makers are aware of the inequality but consider it inevitable in the process of increasing economic growth in the country.
Monetisation of social costs and benefits will inform primary,secondary and tertiary stakeholders,thereby allowing for better informed decision making,the report says.