•National Environmental Civil Society to meet with Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko
•Environmentalists want KPA to look for an alternative way to extend their activities
The Kenya Ports Authority has been given a seven-day ultimatum to stop harvesting sand at Diani beach.
This comes after local fishermen, beach operators and hoteliers protested the destruction of marine ecosystem due to dredging activities by KPA.
Fishermen have confessed fish shortage in areas of Tiwi and Waa, blamed on dredging.
According to Mwanahawa Ali of the Kwale County Natural Resource Network, the ocean is dusty due to dredging, thus fish run for better areas to settle.
“We have settled to take this matter to court if they won’t heed to our advice and stop dredging immediately. We are only giving them a week’s time to completely stop sand harvesting,” she said.
Other non-governmental organisations that safeguard the marine ecosystem have also supported court action if KPA won’t stop the process.
At the same time, the National Environmental Civil Society is expected to meet with Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko and present their claims on why they oppose sand harvesting.
The environmentalists want KPA to look for an alternative way to extend their activities instead interfering with the ocean saying it’s the country’s biggest heritage and a source of livelihood to coastal people.
“Tourists visits to see certain hybrids of fish, enjoy the beach scenery as the oceans are coal, none of them will come if all this is destroyed,” said Ali.