Regional Centre on Groundwater (RCGW) Resources Education, Training and Research is training the community on issues affecting groundwater quantity and quality, and the community-based catchment protection interventions in Narok County.
The Assistant Director Training and Capacity Building at RCGW, Samwel Kamau who is also the team leader, noted that the community involvement at the county level helped to identify knowledge gaps, identify capacity and market needs in the water sector.
Kamau noted that the government agency helps in strategic areas of research and mapping, development and management of groundwater resources in the country.
In his presentation, Kamau said environmental issues that affected Narok County include climate change and variability, land use and urbanization among others.
An Environmental and Social Safeguards expert in RCGW Benson Kimotho highlighted the community based catchment protection interventions activities in the county that included promoting tree planting in the catchment areas, establishing and maintaining of riparian buffer zones, mobilising Water Resource Users Association (WRUA) and community members on conserving the environment.
Kimotho said these interventions would help the government to achieve the target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
On his part, Narok Town chief David Sankale said there was a need to inform the communities on the quality of water to consume.
“Many of our people drink water they come across without knowing the source, and that is why many diseases affect our people,” Sankale said.
He said through proper waste management to prevent water contamination and environmental conservation, community education and awareness could help in improving groundwater quality for use.
By John Kaleke
