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{
    "id": 1499492,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1499492/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 355,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nairobi City County, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Esther Passaris",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to Hon. Irene Mayaka's Environment Management and Coordination (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to amend the law on the issue of cultivation of the eucalyptus tree. What is Hon. Irene Mayaka’s concern? It is the fact that our rivers are drying up for many reasons. We do not need to add to them. Planting the eucalyptus tree right next to the riverbed means that the rivers will dry up even faster. We have already seen that given climate change and drought, water scarcity is prevalent. Crops and livestock losses have also led to increased conflicts. Further, there are increased diseases, riverbank erosion, and wetlands degradation. We do not need to add to those problems. The eucalyptus tree is grown for economic purposes. It grows very fast but it is better to plant it away from riverbeds and respect riparian land. We should ensure that if there are eucalyptus trees around riparian land, they are cut down or kept at a distance, so that they do not affect the rivers because we need our rivers to flow. People should move away from the rivers for them to flow. If the rivers do not flow and they dry up, many people will start digging up the riverbeds. They then end up getting contaminated water and falling sick. We need to recognise that anything that harms the environment, or that denies us the water that we need for our animals, or that forces our women to trek for long distances to get water, is not progressive for the country. It is encouraging to see Members of Parliament standing up and saying that the KEFRI should be funded because we need seedlings that will be grown around riverbeds. We not only need to have more seedlings, but also the right seedlings. The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry needs to focus not just on the eucalyptus tree, but on all the trees that are not good for our riverbeds and the environment. We need to tackle the issue of the eucalyptus tree. That does not mean that we do not grow it, but that we do not grow it near the riverbeds. We should have farms for growing eucalyptus trees because they are medicinal. They have many benefits. However, you do not need an evil to make a good. We have to get rid of the evil of planting eucalyptus trees next to riverbeds because they dry up our rivers. We need our rivers to flow. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}