General
Source: The Star
A group of women in Murang'a county have taken the lead to protect Ndakaini dam which is the main source of water for Nairobi residents -- by planting trees.
Kezia Wanjiku Machora, 82, stood out from the more than 100 women who assembled at the dam recently to play her role in protecting the dam from soil erosion and land slides for the future generation.
"As a young girl, water in the dam was in plenty and the rains were on time. I came to plant trees to save our dam now that the rains are no longer predictable. I have been living in this place since 1953 and before the dam was constructed, we got water from the Gikiriri springs," explained Wanjiku, a resident of Ndungu Chege.
Wanjiku said the long rains would come at around March but not anymore. "No one can say for certain when the rains will come and now we are in the middle of April. Water level in the dam is a big concern as it sustains the city where our children work and stay. I heard about the tree planting campaign from neighbours and decided to participate."
Lucy Wanjiku Nguru, a mother of four and resident of Kiriaini in Gatanga, said the region is prone to landslides because of flash floods.
"We have had our tea leaves, coffee and crops that we plant washed away by landslides. I believe planting trees will help prevent such losses," said Wanjiku, clutching her ten months old son James Kariuki.
The tree planting campaign was organized by Kenya Climate Change Justice Women Champions (KCJWC), a nongovernmental organisation campaign, with more than 426,000 women and 110,00 men membership in the 47 counties. The NGO seeks to advance climate justice in Kenya and interpret climate change policies.
The campaign is backed by Kenya@50 and BAT to raise awareness among the community on the need to restore afforestation at the homestead level to help meet the government target of 10 per cent tree cover.
Muranga county environment officer Veronica Maina recalled the Kerube landslides that swept tea plantations and choked local rivers with silt.
"Climate change may sound foreign but it is here with us and we must adapt now or perish," she said.
According to the department of geology at the University of Nairobi, landslides in Murang'a county are recurrent phenomenon in the area causing loss of lives, property and fertile land.
KCJWC chief executive officer Cecilia Kibe said rainfall patterns here have been affected by climate change, so is the water level of Ndakaini dam due to serious fluctuation.
She said women are hard hit by weather changes and there is need to jump-start the process to conserve the water catchment area.
"It is the women and children who bear the brunt of climate change. When trees have been cut as a source of cooking fuel, respiratory diseases become common. Their contribution to economic development is minimised," said Kibe.
Kenya Forest Service ecosystem co-ordinator in the sub county James Gitonga said in addition to setting aside 10,000 tree seedlings as a mitigation measure, awareness remains key to support efforts to replenish local rivers to support the dam.
"Some 60 per cent of the Nairobi County GDP is supported by water from Ndakaini. Our children live and work in Nairobi. Climate change will not only affect the city, it will affect all of us," Peter Wachira, the dam co-ordinator cautioned.