• Project to restore catchment areas, reduce pollution, teach smart agriculture, increase biodiversity.
• Water quality and quantity declining, full of manure from flooding caused by deforestation and over-cultivation.
Image: HANDOUT
A Sh320 million water conservation project will eventually provide clean drinking water to Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
The Eldoret-Iten Water Fund project will restore and enhance degraded catchment areas, which are the counties' sources of water. Tree-planting will be a major component.
The three-year project was launched on Monday in Eldoret.
The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility through the International Fund for Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy.
GEF is multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change and degradation in developing countries. It focuses on interrelated climate problems.
Lack of clean drinking water is caused by pollution, poor farming techniques, over-cultivation, tree felling for timber and charcoal, encroachment on water resources and too much abstraction, or drawing water.
Environment PS Chris Kiptoo said out of Sh21 billion GEF aid to Kenya this year, Sh3 billion is for mitigating effects of climate change, Sh13 billion for promoting biodiversity and Sh3 billion for restoring degraded land.
Apart from conservation, the project aims to train farmers on good agricultural practices that will conserve the environment and improve productivity and their livelihoods.
Kiptoo said forest cover has been destroyed by human activities like indiscriminate felling of trees due to increased pressure for farmland.
“Rampant tree telling, coupled with poor farming methods and excessive use of agrochemicals has led to soil erosion in riparian areas, leading to water contamination and pollution,” Kiptoo said.
Most indigenous forest cover has been destroyed, however, Kenya has exceeded the target of 10 per cent in 2022. It is now 12.13 per cent.
"We are facing a crisis, namely climate change, pollution control, and biodiversity and nature loss," Kiptoo said.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich said the project will restore degraded land, improve management of forests, conserve riparian land, protect biodiversity and increase stream flow among other measures.
"The project will encourage alternative livelihood such as beekeeping and tree cash crops to raise our economic status," the governor said.
Managing director Peter Biwott of the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (Eldowas) said climate change, drought and human activities were reducing the amount and quality of water.
The water level and quality of raw water in Moiben dam has declined, affecting Eldoret and Iten towns.
"Climate change is becoming real, water levels have gone down, and rains have become less, so the oxygenation of our dam has not been adequate this year," Biwott said.
"Agricultural work around riparian areas has led to floods full of manure flowing into the dam. We need to work swiftly to reverse the trend in the catchment area."
Biwott said the water company has planted 15,000 tree seedlings since May this year.
(Edited by V. Graham)