CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: SURFACE RUNOFF WATER HARVESTING IS KEY TO RESOLVING WATER SHORTAGE

 

Water is life and every effort to harvest, store and efficiently utilize water is worth to be undertaken. Kenya remains a water scarce country making agricultural productivity in many parts of the country unsustainable. The 6^th Sustainable Development Goal is geared towards ensuring access to safe and affordable drinking water. This implies that water provision remains a priority at global arena.

Kenya has been experiencing heavy downpours during the rain seasons and extended dry periods. These phenomenon has resulted to reduced crop production, reduction of livestock pasture and general vegetation decline especially in Arid and Semi-Arid parts of the country. With changing climate, the situation is expected to get worse with time if no action is taken to cushion communities from declining water resource

Water harvesting remain viable solution to water challenges both at households and community levels. Many a time, biggest percentage of rain water is not usable by households and communities due to lack of water harvesting structures and knowhow. This is demonstrated when communities have to travel long distances to fetch water immediately after rains. The painful irony is the factor that the water at the water points is product of surface runoff from their households and farms.

Surface water runoff remain least explored means water harvesting. After rains, huge amounts of water drain in rivers, streams, pathways, roads and at times cause disasters such as loss of lives and destruction of properties. The surface runoff can be utilized with ease and made available for households for domestic and agricultural uses. This can be done through channeling the surface water to water ponds, earth dams, arable lands and other water harvesting structures.

Roof catchments too provide ideal water harvesting avenue, many rural households have access to low cost water tanks and jericans which are mainly used for water harvesting. With right incentives by government, roof catchment offers complementary source to household water availability. The high penetration of plastics tanks and concrete water reservoirs has seen short term water harvesting done targeting domestic water uses while farm ponds remain adorable water harvesting and storage techniques for both domestic and agriculture.

Farm ponds have also proven to be manageable water harvesting option at household level. Many small and marginal farmers have found farm ponds to be ideal solutions to their water struggles. Farm ponds are small in size and thus fit well within these farmers’ land holding size. They are easy to construct and mainly do not require skilled labour, they can be filled by small amounts of rain. Furthermore, since they are individually managed farmers can freely use the harvested water without any competition or conflict. In addition, farm ponds save women and children from walking for miles to find, collect, and carry water for domestic use. Farm ponds can also provide an additional source of income for families by supporting activities like fish rearing and growing vegetables.

At community levels, earth dams and water pans are being excavated to provide large scale water source. Although they have not been much explored by both government and development actors. With right water catchment, earth dams are able to harvest substantial amounts of water which is available for communities during dry seasons. They provide solution to medium scale water needs for livestock, horticulture and household uses. Although susceptible to pollution due to level of exposure, many a time community through their management committees provide much needed leadership and regulatory bylaws which prevent pollution and misuse of the rare commodity.

ROLE OF CHURCH IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: A CASE STUDY OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF KENYA (NCCK)

 

Church remain one of most respected institutions and plays significant role in influencing quality of life through offering spiritual nourishment and material support to its congregants. Anchored in the Bible, Church grew from tiny village of Judea. The faith has grown over the entire world to claim loyalty of about a third of world population by today. According to the scripture, upon creation, Adam and Eve where given solemn duty to take care of the Garden of Eden, an indication of the significance of environmental conservation to mankind.

In Kenya, Church has held grip on many decisions of its members and its word is taken with respect and honor by congregants. Church is the only institution where goers don’t expect meals facilitation and transport refund, instead, they are the ones ready to give to support clergy and Church development. Kenya being a strictly religious country, one wonders why there is so much environmental degradation yet environmental conservation has its origin in the Bible. Generosity, loyalty and respect accorded to Church by its followers offers opportunity for Environmental conservation.

Church institutions remain vibrant most of the time as congregants assemble to worship or seek spiritual and material support. In rural setting and some urban areas, Churches own land where their structures have been put up, however, such institution at times remain epitome of environmental unconsciousness. With relevant mobilization, Church can take leading role in mobilizing its members to actively participate in environmental conservation. Within the institution, the congregants can plant trees, establish water harvesting structures to cater for Church water requirement.

National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), a oriented organization in Kenya has taken bold steps to ensure its members conserve their environment at both Church compounds, households and other affiliated institutions. NCCK did launch ambition 1.5 billion tree planting initiatives for the next 8 years targeting to contribute 10% of President target of 15 billion trees. The Church organization has mobilized its members and offered much anticipated support including provision of planting materials, water tanks and trainings on relevant environmental conservation skills to its member Churches.  

Church has always and timely offered direction to its members during time of crisis to cushion its members from potential risks. With the changing climate which remains most eminent global threat, its time Church voice is heard loud and clear when it comes to environmental degradation, emission of greenhouse gases, destruction of water catchments, charcoal burning, illegal logging among other environmental vices.

Church is the conscious of the society and fulfils its divine mandate to save the world.   One step in demonstrating its consciousness is to condemn environmental destruction. Church leaders need to preach green gospel to ensure amidst focus to eternal life, the life on the earth of livable for both human and non-human population. Providing instruction on environmental issues is another role of the Church in the conservation efforts. The Church teaches that the entire universe belongs to God. Mankind must protect the earth.

Article by

Andrew Muendo Nyamu

Young Africa Leadership Initiative (YALI) fellow 2018

Project Coordinator – Nature Positive food systems project

National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) 

WORLD WOMEN DAY: ITS TIME TO ENTRENCH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT POSITIONS

For ages, women have been subjected to back seat when leadership and development issues are being discussed. African culture and traditions have disadvantaged women who have been left to perform demanding yet perceived insignificant chores at household levels. Traditionally women were embedded to cook, take care of children, collect firewood and remain submissive and indecisive to their know-all male counterparts. Similarly, men were believed to be God chosen leaders who were bestowed with sole mandate to make decision regarding property ownership, chiefdom and kingdom selection, property acquaintance and disposal and marital decisions such as number of children to be born, number of wives and wife inheritance matters

 

The perception has created man-made vulnerability to women and girls. Some chores continually subject women to otherwise dangerous yet mandatory environments, while collecting firewood, fetching water, attending livestock women have drowned, attacked by wild animals and militia groups causing emotional and bodily harm. Women have been subjected to lesser economic gainful enterprises in patriarchal societies who perceives women contributions as insignificant.

 

The trend seems to change in unprecedented rate as whole world. Women have taken influential and seat in cornerstone on many development and leadership positions. World Super power United States of America has woman vice president Her Excellence Kamala Harris. While Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher held Britain prime minister position in different times. For sixteen years, Angela Markel led Germany.

 

 Africa is not left behind as Ellen Sirleaf Johnson held the helm of Liberia, a leadership which has saw sanity and rule of law back to the country wounded by civil war. Catherine Samba Panza led Central Africa Republic between 2014 and 2016 while Rose Francine Rangombe led Gabon between June and October 2009. Samia Suluhu Hassan took over from Late H.E Dr Magufuli in Tanzania while Sahle Work Zedwe is the current president for Ethiopia.

 

In Kenya women have made remarkable strides from dark past to limelight both in private sector, public leadership and political position. The appointment of Nyiva Mwendwa to cabinet position in 1995 took male chauvinists by surprise but was the beginning of women presence in leadership positions which is now entrenched in the 2010 constitution. Performance of women in leadership position has proofed that they are equal participant with men.

 

In community development front, women have provided the most needed workforce either freely and below market rates. Family farming which feeds over 70% of world population according to World Rural Forum statistics 2013 is most dependent of women labor who toil to ensure their crops are planted in time, weeded and manure applied and taken care from pest and diseases and harvested. In most patriarchal African societies’ men make the decisions while women implement such decisions, a culture which continues to draw back gains made in gender equality. In pastoral communities, women are left to small livestock while men own large livestock, which bring incomes in terms of labor and sells when they are sold. Decisions to own some property and even income by women remain highly influenced by men and thus low homegrown development initiatives in rural communities

 

In recent past women have clustered themselves in self run and regulated micro finance initiatives which have offered much needed and deserving source of income in rural areas. These initiatives have seen women be able to afford household items such as cooking wear, school uniform for their children and school fees, access to better health and more regular and nutritious meals to their families. Through loans and financials savings from their groups’ (chamas’) women are able to start business and earn income and decent lives.

 

Women play important roles in all aspects of development, due to their closeness to nature, while proving for the families, women have very sound mindset in environmental conservation which has seen many women take lead in rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems.   For any community, be it in developed countries, developing, war torn regions, rural or urban to realize sustainable development, women need to be placed in their right positions as the current trend has proven that they can do what men have done and even in better. Previous closed opportunities for women need to be availed to them so that they can optimize their contribution in nation building.