OPINION: Why conservation of our watersheds must be everyone’s business

Water has for a long time been confounded to be coming from the tap. Well it does, but only once it's been piped to your house, from elsewhere

In many cities and towns across the world where residents enjoy piped water, there is a popular misconception among them that water comes from the tap and nothing less. The flip-side is that the commodity they so sacredly depend on is sourced many kilometres away from some far-flung forest, mountain, swamp or even a spring tucked somewhere upcountry. 

It is also worth noting that even as government policymakers moot ambitious plans of providing piped water to every household - which is a brilliant idea- very little is said about where this water comes from or whether or not the water to be piped indeed exists.

Unplanned and or unsustainable human activities in the past have had negative impacts on our water sources and, so bad is the situation that should it stay business as usual, Kenya may not realize Vision 2030 and most of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Anthropogenic-related pressures such as deforestation and degradation of land continue to pose untold threats to our watersheds. Hence quick collective actions are needed to swiftly address increasing water stress and risks to people, investments and nature.  

Compounded by climate change, water scarcity in Kenya is a big challenge that is growing worse by the day. Currently, Kenya is considered a water-stressed country with a declining freshwater availability per capita of only 493 cubic meters.

This basically means that there is barely enough water in the country for everyone, hence the urgent need to conserve and restore the few watersheds to boost water production and availability in the country.

Whereas conserving our water sources, which include swamps and forests, will ensure there is a constant flow of water and maintenance of base flows in our rivers during droughts, there is an urgent need to strengthen Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)–Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) nexus and reduce pollution as we turn the spotlight on ambient or surface water quality which nearly 15% of the 50 million Kenyans still depend on. 

This is why we urge Kenyans to make small sacrifices such as adopting a river or a watershed near them, plant indigenous trees - less water-thirsty plants -  and embrace sustainable land use practices such terracing to reduce siltation through soil erosion, soil testing to reduce use of excess fertilizers, adopt integrated pest management to reduce use of pesticides, and where necessary use drip irrigation as best water use practice. 

This will discourage the desire to shift or to avoid expansion of farming into key water source areas, including riparian areas. 

This year, World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya), a leading conservation organization in the country, kicked off a national campaign dubbed the #JourneyofWater. The first leg of the campaign was held in Naivasha in May this year, and it rallied all the stakeholders in the water sectors from local communities to government agencies and the private sector to champion the conservation of River Malewa which supplies 90% of the water in Lake Naivasha, the country’s horticultural hub.

For three days during the event, the campaign caravan trailed the river from its source in the slopes of Aberdare to its mouth at the shores of Lake Naivasha with the mission of identifying threats the river is facing and to help water users to appreciate the long journey the water has to travel before reaching their taps. The campaign will be replicated in other key rivers in the country to promote catchment management for enhanced access of water of good quality to all Kenyans-IWRM for WASH approach. 

A quick look at our important watersheds in the country no doubt paints a grim picture of utter neglect which in turn significantly impacts on the water availability. Yet as climate change intensifies, water is bound to become even more scarce, further worsening the situation especially in towns that are already struggling with increasing populations and overstretching existing sewerage facilities.   

This is why conservation of our rivers and water towers must never rest only on the shoulders of water resource users associations, a government agency or an individual. It is everyone’s business.

Dr William Ojwang is the freshwater thematic lead and Manager, Kenya Rift Lakes Programme at WWF-Kenya