The county government of Nakuru has set aside Sh.8 million to rehabilitate the largest dumpsite in Naivasha following frequent complaints from members of the public.
The move to rehabilitate the dumpsite located about 7kms from Naivasha town came after residents threatened to move to court to block usage of the area until it was rehabilitated.
The Nakuru County Chief Officer for Environment, Muriithi Kiogora said rehabilitation works will begin immediately money is released in this financial year.
Kiogora said part of the works will include fencing the entire area to prevent waste spilling to residential areas in addition to installing a live wire which will be erected in the area to prevent encroachment on the land.
The Chief Officer at the same time, regretted that Lake Naivasha continued to face challenges key among them contamination from effluent discharged into the waters.
He said they had learnt from developed nations on protection of the lake, adding that some of the critical environmental protection practices will start being implemented soon.
“We are learning how Denmark managed to conserve its water bodies and it’s through those best practices that we will embark on conserving Lake Naivasha,” said Kiogora.
Kiogora further said that the county was addressing the issue of chemicals and fertilizers used in flower farms which was a major cause of environmental degradation in the area.
He said they will work closely with local universities to conduct research on the chemicals used by flower farms so as to rate the extent of effluents flowing into the lake from the farms.
Addressing the press in Naivasha, Kiogora said though the budgetary allocation to the department was meagre, they were determined to protect the environment for future generations.
He regretted that most of the current diseases afflicting Kenyans, including cancer and diabetes are due to destruction of the environment and challenged stakeholders to take seriously the issue of conservation.
By Esther Mwangi/Brian Kamau
