The large-scale generation of electricity by falling water is probably the most widespread no-oil source of convectional energy for both commercial and domestic use in the developing countries, including Kenya. However, water as a natural resource has been falling in volume as a result of environmental degradation.
What appears to be Kenya’s complex unsolved energy paradox is the growth of demand for biomass fuel that today contributes by meeting the 75 per cent of Kenya’s energy needs. This heavy reliance on biomass fuel may be blamed for the continued wanton destruction of the vegetation cover, that has resulted in drastic reduction of rainfall and hence a major threat to hydro-electricity in Kenya.
The issue of unsustainable management of forests saw a large number of both individuals and organizations come together to push for the embracement of sound environmental initiatives by the previous government. However, the regime did not sign to it, nor did it pretend to honour the basic and noble requirement of any respectable government to act as the guardian of our natural resources.
This is achieved by putting in place all reputable mechanisms to promote the sustainable utilization of these natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations. However, this never came to pass, but in its place, the past two decades saw the worst and the most savage rape of our natural resource base.
This resulted in a grave reduction of Kenya’s forests in size to a paltry 1.8 per cent of the total land, which is against the international standard of not less than 10 per cent if the country is to escape an adverse ecological imbalance.
Sustainable forest management is the most important concept of our times. Directly, it affects the future, not only of Kenya’s forests, but also those of the world at large.
If forests are to be sustained for them to contribute to sustainable development, their environmental values must be protected and their economic values enhanced. The decision-making process related to the management of forests must also involve the broad-based participation of interest groups for the country’s development.
A look at electricity production in Kenya today shows not only expansion in demand, but even more important, a shift in policy from heavy reliance on thermal energy to the hydropower and geothermal power.
These energy sources have their own economic, health and environmental costs, benefits and risks. Choosing an energy strategy means also choosing one of the environment because energy use will dictate what measures are needed to protect the environment.
This will dictate which form of energy is and will remain available. The energy question must therefore be approached from the standpoint of sustainability, and a period ahead must be regarded as transitional from an era in which energy must be used in a sustainable manner.
Kenya has a limited number of rivers which originate from the highland areas and flow into the Indian Ocean, accounting for most of the potential for hydro-electric power. The country has a total estimated potential water-power resource of only 1,100MW as compared to Tanzania’s 1,400MW, and the total installed capacity of hydropower in Kenya is 680.88MW.
Severe seasonal fluctuations in the available volume of water lowers the potential development on River Tana to 540MW, although the estimated potential is 835MW, while the Turkwel George is about 100MW, with a geothermal potential of 500MW.
These estimates show that, Kenya hydroelectric power potential is small and could be easily exhausted in event of rapid industrialization and can be made really worse by environment degradation as is poised today.
Halting deforestation will help to maintain the genetic diversity of the planet, reduce erosion, stabilize local and regional climates and cleanse water and air. Remember, a step taken to reduce one problem helps to reduce others.
Forests are a sector that is undergoing evolution in this rapidly changing world. These rapid changes have affected them to a great and worrying extent. As has been witnessed, weather changes have affected our lives. Rainfall has reduced due to deforestation along the river valleys, which in turn increases soil erosion in times of heavy rains and windy conditions.
These impacts of climatic changes have sometimes caused worrying falls in water levels and siltation in our water reservoirs, as witnessed during the 2000-2001 period, culminating in serious power rationing.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, provided an impetus and commitment to international activity focused on the world’s forests. This has since been intensified with the stimulus provided by activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests that was set up in April 1995 by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
The result has seen increased attention being paid to global forest-related issues. Regionally and internationally, new initiatives have been put in place to look at various aspects of forest conservation and management and address the multitude of needs and concerns of diverse interest groups.
Kenya’s largest and most important river, the Tana, originates from fast-moving streams in the humid Aberdare mountains and Mt Kenya. This 1,000km-long river loses roughly half of its waters through evaporation and sippage along its middle and lower courses. Such losses can be reduced by conserving the vegetation along the Tana, which include grass and bushlands, deciduous woodland and lowland evergreen forest even if it means planting more trees around the dams.
It is generally agreed that evergreen riverine forests are dependant upon at least three factors --- the level of ground water, frequent flooding (caused by heavy rains in Aberdare and mount Kenya, water sheds not local rains) and fertile alluvial sediments.
These are among the most important factors in eastern Africa for biodiversity conservation as well as one of the region’s most serious and challenging conservation problems. We must spend more time, energy and resources to conserve for the people and wildlife the forests of the vast arid region of north-eastern Kenya through which the river flows.
Kenya’s hydropower accounts for more than 70 per cent of its electricity energy needs. It would therefore be incomplete to talk of conservation without highlighting the issue of water resource management.
Since 1996, we have given much attention to water management, as was reflected in 1997 in the comprehensive assessment of flesh-water resources during the first world water forum in Morocco. Kenya must emulate South Africa by putting water and its management as a prerequisite for development and the people’s relations with one another.
Reports available from research on the western side of Mt Kenya shows that a water crisis has hit an all-time high. The problem is caused by long dry spells, and is compounded by multinational horticultural companies which use voluminous pipes at intake points, the uneconomical overhead irrigation instead of the drip method, which is recommended for this semi-arid area.
They also tap water directly from the river without bothering to construct dams. To crown it all, they move deep inside the Mt Kenya forest to set their intake points.
Another equally issue is that of the forest being encroached upon by farmers. The problem is that they clear vegetation along the numerous river valleys, which during rainy season causes serious soil erosion and even mud slides, mostly on the eastern side.
If these issues are not addressed, Kenya runs the risk of closing some of its hydropower stations. It is this last threat that Kenyans have to channel most of their financial resources and energy to achieve sustainable use of the water resource.