Jaribuni residents and Kaya elders have said a permanent river may soon dry up due to quarrying activities.
The residents said quarries are tampering with the springs that feed the river.
Care Way Trust secretary Caxton Chivatsi accused quarry owners of dumping ballast waste near the River Jaribuni, a source of livelihood in the area.
Speaking at Maluani springs on Monday, Chivatsi urged the county and national government to compel the companies to rehabilitate all the dumping sites
“We depend on this river for domestic use and agriculture. The companies should not be allowed to quarry near the river as they tamper with its ecology,” Chivatsi said.
Kaya Kauma chairman Benson Mubaruk said some mining companies have gone as far as the sea level, tampering with water flow at a spring near Kaya Kauma.
Mubaruk said their cultural heritage is under threat as some companies are encroaching onto Kaya Forest in search of ballast and iron ore.
