Conserve wetlands to reduce floods

When floods swept through and submerged virtually all homes at the lush Green Park Gardens estate in Athi River, Machakos County, the affected residents were quick to blame their misery on corruption by National Environment Management Authority (Nema) officials.

The residents lamented that they were duped by the investor, Superior Home Developers, who sold them houses constructed on riparian land.

All the affected houses were sold at between Sh9 million and Sh18 million. They sit on the banks of the River Athi, which broke its banks, marooning them earlier this month.

“We blame the incident on Nema who gave the greenlight to the developer go construct houses on a flood-prone location,” one resident told DN2.

Experts, however, argue that the re­­­cent flooding experienced in Nairobi, Narok, Kajiado, Machakos and other parts of the country are largely due to human encroachment on wetlands.

“Wetlands are areas that are permanently or partially submerged in water. They could be wet or dry lands and Nairobi is one of them. Others are swamps, rivers and lakes,” said Julie Mulonga, programme manager for Wetlands International, an organisation that deals with the conservation  of wetlands.

Ms Mulonga notes that a population bulge and the resultant scarcity of land, drives people to build homes and settle dangerously next to river banks, as is the case with the Green Park Gardens estate in Mavoko, off Mombasa Road, which recently suffered the wrath of floods. 

“Nature is unforgiving. The same way that buildings on road reserve are demolished to pave way for construction, is the same manner in which water finds its way in wetlands,” Ms Mulonga argues.

FEAR OF FLOODS

In the last two weeks, Kenyans in lowlands have been living under the fear of floods. Bridges have been swept away, houses submerged and roads become unnavigable. 

The imminent danger of floods has become worse in the past one month, prompting Nema to issue a warning to Kenyans living near rivers to move.

Nema Director General Geoffrey Wahungu says that due to heavy rains pounding parts of the country, most rivers are now loaded with large volumes of silt and debris causing an overflow beyond the riparian reserve.

Prof Wahungu has further warned developers in low-lying lands along Nairobi River, River Athi and Athi plains including Kajiado and Isinya to put in place measures for evacuation, should necessity arise and to monitor river flow levels at night.

Parking vehicles under trees or canopies close to residences could also be catastrophic, he says.

More than six vehicles were destroyed earlier this month when a tree fell on them at a parking lot at Serena Hotel in Nairobi.

“Whenever it rains heavily, wetlands hold water and release it slowly. When the vegetation and trees are cleared for buildings, there is nothing to hold that water, so it runs down with a lot of force and the result is a flooding catastrophe,” Ms Mulonga explains.

If left undisturbed, however, wetlands are able to clean rain water when it runs downstream, she says.

“Wetlands ensure that there is enough water in rivers and lakes which are home to fish and other creatures which are important for food and the national economy,” Mulonga says.

She adds: “Papyrus reeds have so many uses from marking baskets and artifacts to furniture. Some of the plants that grow in swamps, rivers and lakes have medicinal qualities. Besides, wetlands harbour a natural tranquillity like the sound of flowing water and singing birds which attract tourists.”

The Kenyan coast is one of the leading regions where human encroachment on wetlands is rampant. In Lamu, for instance, mangrove thickets have been cleared to pave way for the construction of the Lamu Port.

“The damage is aggravated by the fact that mangrove has got a lot of carbon which when burnt increases the carbon footprint in the air, a contributor to global warming and climatic change. This leaves the population exposed to the hazards of global climatic change when sea levels rise,” Ms Mulonga observes.

This, she says, has happened against the backdrop of the ongoing debate and focus on conservation of the gazetted national water towers.

“You cannot conserve water towers such as lakes and rivers, without conserving whatever happens upstream,” Ms Mulonga emphasises.

Floods bring with them a lot of losses. Investments come down the drain, when bridges are washed away, it takes us backwards financially as a country. The ecosystem, trees, vegetation cover, birds, fish and wild animals are destroyed, yet, it takes so many years to restore the same.

The ongoing rains have left a trail of death and destruction across the country for the last two weeks, with more than 800 families displaced in Kilifi and Tana River counties alone. The families are in dire need of food, shelter and clothing.

Tana River County Director Jerald Bombey said the families are currently camping at a higher ground. “We hope to reach the families with food supplies soon,” Mr Bombey told DN2.

In Kilifi County, flood victims in Magarini have appealed for help after River Sabaki broke its banks. In the wake of the ongoing rains, transport along the busy Busia-Malaba road has been disrupted on several occasions in the past few weeks after water damaged a temporary bridge at Amaase in Teso South Constituency.

LOCAL SEWERRAGE SYSTEM DAMAGED

In Homa Bay, a woman and her child were killed when flash floods swept a matatu they were travelling in last Sunday.  Nema has warned residents against consuming water from Lake Victoria due to pollution from damaged local sewerage system.

“We fear that the sweeping of all sewerage contents into the lake could lead to diseases if residents obtain the water for domestic use,” warned Nema County Director John Maniafu.

In Kisumu, an unknown number of people were displaced in Kobura Ward following flash floods that hit the region slightly more than two weeks ago. The families were forced to move out of their houses after River Auji burst its banks.

County Director of Special Programmes Ms Ruth Odinga, said 17 evacuation centres had been identified to house those affected by floods.

“We are currently equipping these evacuation centres to make them habitable,” said Ms Odinga. A disaster management committee was formed to respond to cases floods.

Ms Mulonga attributes this havoc to negligence and failure to preserve wetlands. For this reason, Wetlands International is creating awareness on the management of wetlands among communities living in Ewaso Nyiro and Kajiado County.

“This programme, for instance, allows communities living near mangrove forests at the coast to conserve the mangroves in their own way, because they depend on them economically,” she says.

Kenya revised the national wetlands policy guidelines in 2013, to promote protection of wetlands through management plans.

“Wetlands International works with the government to ensure that wetlands regulations are implemented. For instance, in ensuring that environmental impact assessment studies are conducted before any projects are undertaken on wetlands,” Ms Mulonga submits.

Public participation is, however, lacking she says.

“Not many Kenyans come out to give their views during environmental impact assessments yet they are the communities living next to such projects and the first victims when nature fights back,” she notes with concern.

According to her, the conversation of wetlands should be approached holistically as it affects livelihoods in several dimensions.

“Floods cause an emergency need for rescue and evacuation of human life and animals, the need for food aid, sanitation, clean drinking water and shelter,” she notes adding that conserving wetlands would go a long way to minimise the occurrence of and destruction caused by floods.