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{
    "id": 1186988,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1186988/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 335,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Kamar",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 33,
        "legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
        "slug": "margaret-kamar"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. First, I congratulate Sen. Mungatana for this wonderful Motion on the effects of upstream activities on River Tana in particular on the residents of Tana Delta. I rise to support the Motion. I would like to agree with the Senator that clean water in the right quantities is a right of every Kenyan according to Article 43(1)(d) of the Constitution of Kenya. Water flows from upstream to downstream. Naturally, the river must serve both groups; the source point communities and the receiver communities. This Motion is exposing a number of issues. I request that the prayers that have been made by Sen. Mungatana will be granted. One of the things that are being exposed is the injustice that development can cause if it is not taken care of nicely. Before a dam is developed under normal circumstances - and I know that this was done - a feasibility study is done. This was done for the Seven Forks Dam. All of us know the Seven Forks Dam since when we were in primary school. When we were asked in the examination about the number of dams that Kenya has, this was among the first ones we knew about either in primary or secondary school studies. That was a long time ago. We know that climate change has come in and it has caused a lot of problems. We now have fluctuating rainfall patterns and dry seasons to the extent that the amount of water that the original feasibility study considered is not the same. The volume of water in Tana River is not the same because of climate change. Being a soil scientist, biogas, soil and water conservation specialist, I say this because I have interest in the environment. That is why I have visited Tana River. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for us to have solutions, it is not only stakeholder participation that needs to be done. We need to review the feasibility study that was done years back. There is need for the Ministry to re-assess and evaluate the capacity of the dam and whether it still releases the amount of water that it should. Under normal circumstances, the spillway should release the same constant amount of water throughout. Putting a dam across a river does not reduce the amount of water that flows downstream. A spillway is constructed for that purpose. In fact, when you construct a dam, you should ensure that you have a way of diverting the same amount of water, so that it can be filled by rain and not water flowing downstream. You should control the amount of water that flows downstream and conserve rainfall water which is God-given. Dams are good control systems as far as flooding is concerned. Under normal circumstances, for example in Egypt, you will find that there is a series of dams. When rainfall fluctuates, there must be a way of diverting extra water, so that it is controlled in a manner that does not cause destruction. It is important for the Ministry to do an assessment to establish the capacity of the dam and the excess water there as a result of climate change. That way, they can divert water. The water should not be diverted to downstream communities because it could cause flooding. Instead, it should be diverted to other storage tanks and dams."
}