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{
    "id": 1267898,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1267898/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 113,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wamatinga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13582,
        "legal_name": "Wahome Wamatinga",
        "slug": "wahome-wamatinga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I beg to reply. Let me start by thanking my colleagues who contributed a lot in this Motion. They enriched the idea and suggested a way forward that we can embrace as a country, as we face the dangers of climate change. Everybody agreed that it is time we started treating water as a prestigious commodity. In some places, water is more expensive than fuel. All along, we have treated water like a commodity that is not diminishable. However, the discussion we have had through the Motion brought a realization that we need to embrace methods to conserve and use water intelligently. It must be part of the Government policy to ensure that moving forward, we do not only conserve water, but we also employ technology so that we can ensure water is utilized in the right way. The country has come from a long drought, but now it is endowed with adequate rainfall. However, in a couple of months, we will be faced with drought. This is not due to unfavourable climate, but failure to ensure that we put measures in place to harvest water and use whatever we harvest intelligently. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you have travelled across the globe and seen facilities with intelligent water systems; whereby the water tap will go on and off as you use it. A country like ours is still struggling with resources and more than 80 per cent of the country is semi-arid. We must embrace such technologies so that the little water we get can be used for longer durations. The Government has a plan to construct mega-dams. However, they will be of no use if we do not embrace modern technology to ensure that when we irrigate, we move away from furrow and open trench irrigation to technology-controlled drip irrigation system. This can only be realized if we put policy, legal infrastructures and measures in place so that we can enforce. This would mean that for all the Government buildings we have, we must incorporate intelligent water systems. In addition to this, before a license is issued to new buildings that are coming up, we must ensure that we put intelligent water use systems in place. We have Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges across the country. Plumbing and intelligent water systems is not complicated technology. The TVETs would give us an opportunity to introduce pipelines and systems through the youth empowerment programmes. These systems would then be incorporated into the buildings that will come up. If we embrace that as a country, we will not only be able to save water, but at the same time, we will conserve the environment. It is important to note that every drop of water that gets into a household must be discharged somewhere. We know that wastewater management in this country has become a major challenge. You only need to walk along the Nairobi River, Ngong River and several other rivers that flow all the way to the ocean and see how intoxicated they are because we have failed to manage the way we use our water and the water waste system. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services,Senate."
}