• Healthy forests provide clean water for industrial, agricultural and domestic use.
• They positively boost water quantity, quality, and filtration.
The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) has planted 3,000 trees in the vast Kamatira forest, West Pokot.
Technical Services general manager Joseph Siror and West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo led hundreds of residents, county officials and Ketraco staff in the one-day drive.
It was part of the efforts to increase forest cover to 10 per cent and tackle climate change. A presidential directive had been issued to that effect.
“Other than environmental health, tree planting is important for the wellbeing of both animals and human beings. It is globally recognised as one of the most engaging, environmentally friendly activity,” Dr Siror said.
“This exercise will, therefore, provide a multitude of benefits, both long-term and short-term, to the West Pokot community. In most cases, trees are planted to provide shade and beauty. However, tree planting also serves other purposes; for example, carbon sequestration.”
Trees can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and this improves air quality and aid in controlling floods and property destruction by slowing down storms.
Healthy forests provide clean water for industrial, agricultural and domestic use. They positively boost water quantity, quality, and filtration. Trees serve as natural sponges. They collect and filter rainfall before releasing it slowly into rivers and streams.
“This project, therefore, is expected to be of great impact to West Pokot community and towards the achievement of Vision 2030,” Siror said.
"The initiative was also an appreciation of the company’s Turkwel-Ortum – Kitale electricity transmission project that traverses the county.”
The transmission project will stable reliable power supply in the greater North Rift region.
“The ongoing 138Km 22kV single circuit line has a rating of 106MW and runs from the Turkwel power plant to Ortum and Kitale. The project includes two substations at Ortum and Kitale and expansion of Turkwel Substation. It will provide an alternative power supply path for power generated at Turkwel,” he said.
Lonyangapuo said the county had also distributed 140,000 tree seedlings.
"I urge everyone to take advantage of this rainy season and plant trees. Conservation of our environment is the duty of everyone,” he said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)