Forests provide us with plenty of rainfall every season but Aberdare and Mt Kenya forests are under attack which could turn into massive destruction.
The Aberdare Ranges is the second main source of water in the Mount Kenya and is currently facing a lot of threat which could lead to its destruction. The attacks which comes from the country’s infrastructural development and hundreds of water abstractions by the surrounding communities is not a good news.
Forest threat as government plans to cut trees to pave way for road construction
Hundreds of trees have been marked for felling to create space for construction of roads and water projects. The big project which will adversely affect the Aberdare ranges is the 30 billion government plan to construct road across the forest to connect Murang’a to Naivasha through Nyandarua.
During the early plans on the construction of the road, it came out that there will be way section of the road running across the Aberdare Forest. Also, the current Thika-Mugumu highway in Kiambu will overlap to include climbing lanes, taking more space into the forest.
The new sections passing through the forest will start from Gatanga and Kigumo constituencies, meeting inside the forest to appear at Njabini town in Nyandarua County.
Complaints from Forests conservers
Peter Muchiri who is the Green Future Foundation Kenya director said that the path that will connect Nyeri and Nyandarua will pass through moorland –a fragile ecosystem and the targeted Aberdare National Park.
“This area is one of the major water catchment zones and there could subsequently be flooding of developments along the highway corridor,”
Muchiri said.
However, Dennis Kerengo, the Murang’a Forest Service Conservator denies that the plans for construction will cause destruction of the environment. Kerengo said that there are plan and agreement with the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha). The agreement include planting of more trees within the forest or other part of the nation to replace those that will be removed during the construction.
“Most of these projects are outside the forest catchment area but a lot of care is taken during the execution not to destroy the ecosystem.”
Kerengo said.
In other part of the country’s forested areas, James Mukuna of Ndakaini Dam Conservation teams says that there are silent destruction of the forested area around Nairobi’s largest water reservoir. These are kind of evil works that will harm our environment and the country’s safe water sources for generations to come.
Charcoal Burning
James Mukuna says Ndakaini Dam, previously protected and forested to secure the reservoir, today has become area for logging and charcoal burning. The community around the dam for a long time approximately 17 years along the line planted the trees and it is upsetting to have the old tress arranged for cutting to pave way for construction.
Furthermore, 3, 500 elders in Chuka, part of Mt Kenya Forest in Tharaka Nithi County went to the court to petition the National Land Commission claiming 24,000 acres of land. The court granted their claims awarded them 10,000 acres and a 2000 acre forest defense area which still awaits for settlement.
Clearly, if this move succeeds, it will be one of the most set back and largest reduction of the Mt Kenya Forest.
Additionally, areas in Nyeri County occasionally experiences forest fires. Which is the biggest threat to water towers as it destroys forest cover and animal habit.
Last words
There is need to increase awareness in environment and forests conservation to maintain the water towers. Despite the threats coming from the government plans for constructions, it is the duty of citizens to plant trees and maintain the vegetation already into existence.
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