Declining catch: Sand harvesting endangers mudfish in Embu

About 15 years ago, Alfred Musyoki ran a thriving business trapping fish in River Tana. 

Musyoki however says due to sand harvesting, the water flows fast and fish are unable to thrive.

“Most fishermen have opted out because it is difficult to continue with the trade.

“The fish market also lacks enough fish, forcing vendors to outsource from other regions,” he told the Star.

Musyoki comes from Kiromboko in Mutuobare, across the Embu-Kitui border, which is marked by the River Tana.

A Freshwater Ecoregions of the World study shows water from the river flows through extensive wetlands and mangrove stands, creating an ideal habitat for the mudfish species.

Mudfish are identified through their small size, tubular, highly flexible, scaleless body with rounded fins.

The species is however becoming endangered despite its past dominance in river.

As water reduced, perhaps due to deforestation upstream, a new crop of business people raided the region with trucks and shovels.

DEMAND FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

The United Nations Environment Programme says sand is the second most used resource worldwide after water.

It is not only the source of infrastructural raw material but also a base resource that supports life.

Sand harvesting in River Tana has been going on for years.

The activity has seen the river’s aquatic life degraded due to diverted waterways and cleared vegetation.

Reeds lining the river banks have also been disturbed, affecting the mudfish habitats..

Musyoki says the reeds and branches trap sand and prevent it from flowing downstream.

The demand for sand in recent years has however been catapulted by the rapid infrastructural growth within the country.

The sand harvested in Kiromboko is mainly used for economic purposes, which include construction sites in the neighbouring and distant counties of Kiambu and Nairobi.

Kiromboko sand harvesting site coordinator Tata Nzule says the area can produce more than 500 lorries of sand a week during the dry seasons, when the water level decreases.

“During the dry season we load more than 70 lorries a day, working for 24 hours or until late at night. We have the potential to load more than 100 within 24 hours. In a week we can surpass 500 lorries,” he said.

Despite infrastructural growth playing a major development role in the country, the impacts of the unhealed wounds left behind by sand extraction in rivers are immensely affecting aquatic life.

Fish, crocodiles, hippopotamus and birds, which play a role in promoting tourism are affected.

Already, mudfish are fast migrating from rivers due to sand harvesting.

Rivers are home to most fish species, which serve as a source of food, income and the most coveted health nutrients of omega oil, necessary for brain development.

A study by the Food and Agriculture Organization shows that the annual fish demand in Kenya is 600,000 tonnes while the current production is 400,000 tonnes.

This is despite the vast aquatic resources amounting to 1.14million hectares, worth of fish production capacity of 11 million tonnes.

Fish vendor Stanley Mbugua who has been in the business since 1995 in Machakos says the business is facing a huge challenge brought about by human impact on biodiversity.

He says he has been forced to travel to Naivasha in search of mudfish and catfish, which are among his customer’s favourites.

“The fish business has turned into a nightmare as prices have risen compared to earlier, when our water sources had fewer activities,” Mbugua said.

On a good day, he used to make Sh2,000 and above, now he makes less than Sh1,000.

Another fish vendor, Boniface Mwanzia, says he has been forced to raise the prices since the cost from fishermen and transportation from other regions increases daily.

“Not all fish species are available in rivers within the county. We’re forced to transport catfish and mudfish from as far as Naivasha and it’s costing us a lot of money.

"Customers are always complaining about the prices. We don’t have an option but to sell at a loss, in some instances, because fish can’t be stored for long,” he said.

Embu National Environment Management Authority director Boniface Birichi says the sand harvesting in River Tana, Mbeere South, has been mistaken and the exercise taking place is desilting.

He says the desilting is meant to prevent excess sand from flowing into the Kiambere hydroelectric dam and decreasing the required water levels.

“When conducting desilting exercises, it cannot be 100 per cent harmless. There will be some impacts, which we assess and indicate how they should be mitigated,” Birichi said.

The matter has however not been received lightly by environmental and human activists, who have criticised how the Embu government and relevant bodies have been treating the issue.

Environmental, social welfare and Justice activist Taratisio Ireri Kawe said sand scooping and harvesting within Kiromboko in Mbeere South,  Marivwe and Muthanthara in Mbeere North has left people poor and without proper nutrition found in fish.

He said the government should educate communities on the importance of fish as a source of food and employment, without causing harm to aquatic life.

“The Embu government should regulate and enact laws that will control sand mining. People should not only see sand but also opportunities that would come with the fish business in these rivers,” Kawe said.

The Mining Act of 2017 in Kenya places sand in the same line as other natural resources, which are under the national government’s control despite its location.

Environmental activist and conservationist Simon Kang’iri says sand harvesting has led to dried rivers and destroyed aquatic life.

He said the situation is heading to worse if not well managed.

Kang’iri  said sand harvesters should put into consideration the dangers of uncontrolled harvesting.

“As the harvesting takes place day by day, we lose our water living organisms and lose our rivers as well. We are also losing the important vegetation along river lines,” he said.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)