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"speaker_name": "Prof. Maathai",
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"legal_name": "Wangari Muta Maathai",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. First, I just want to commend the Minister for the excellent work that he and his team have been doing in the Ministry, especially in the formation of various bodies all the way to the constituency level that are managing our water systems. Some of the issues that I shall speak about are issues that I have raised in this House many 3306 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 21, 2007 times. Sometimes, it seems that every time we address the issue of water, we raise the same issues. I do not know to what extent the Ministry takes up those issues. Does it really take them seriously? One of the issues that I have suggested many times is that, we ought to have a strong Inter- ministerial Committee between seven Ministries that are very important in the way we manage our water system. These Ministries include, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Roads and Public Works, Ministry of Agriculture and the Office of the President. The Office of the President is important because we can use chiefs and their assistants to help our people manage their environment better, especially in the area of protecting forests. It is not enough for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to be seen as the only Ministry that should protect forests and catchment areas. The Ministry of Water and Irrigation must surely work very closely with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources because unless they protect the forested mountains in this country, sooner or later, we are going to suffer from lack of water. I understand that we are considered to be a water-deficient country. That is a reflection of the way we have been handling our forests in this country. It is very important to rid our forests of plantations. I know that it is almost a crime to suggest that we should not be using forested mountains for commercial plantations of timber. We have extensive pieces of land in this country and we should encourage people to plant trees. But let us move out of our forested mountains because that is where our waters come from. We all know that, but for some reason, we also think that it is in these mountains where we must plant our eucalyptus, pine and the exotic species which suck all the water from our mountains, not to mention the destruction of our local bio-diversity in these forests. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is especially important for me to mention about the eucalyptus which is being planted immensely in this country. It is being promoted by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources does not pay attention to what this tree does to our water system, especially in the highlands. This tree grows very fast because it takes a lot of water from the soil and it is responsible for the drying up of many streams and the lowering of the volume of waters in our rivers but we continue to plant it. At the moment, there is literally a rush to plant a clone from South Africa. It is being produced here at Karura. No matter what we say, many people are planting that tree because it is going to grow very fast and they will be able to harvest, sell it and get a lot of money within a very short time. What the millions of trees that we are planting are going to do is that they are going to suck up a lot of water. This Ministry ought to be concerned about the rate at which the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is allowing the planting of eucalyptus in the highlands and especially in the water catchment areas. People say that it is a South African type of eucalyptus and, therefore, it is not going to suck water. Who has done that research? Nobody! South Africans have prevented that tree from being planted on their water catchment areas but we are allowing it here. It is being driven by nothing but the profit expectations. This Ministry ought to look into that and consult very seriously with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to mention about the shamba system which I have mentioned many times in this country. Again there is a lot of pressure. I know that the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources is under a lot of pressure to allow people to go back to the forests and begin cultivating beans, potatoes, cabbages and carrots in our forests. We are trying to turn our forests into farms. We have a lot of land where people can begin to practise better agricultural practices, so that we do not feel the need to move into our forests to grow those vegetables. People want to go there because it is wet. Of course, it is wet because it is a forest. But we want it wet because that is where our rivers come from. Again, this Ministry ought to join my campaign. I should not be talking alone. August 21, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3307 The Minister for Water and Irrigation should really be supporting me when I say that we must refrain from the pressure that the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources is getting because people want to go into the forests and do shamba system that literally destroyed our forests, especially during the previous administration. Now that we have managed to kick out people, at least in the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya, we can see that water volume has increased. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to remember, with compassion, the people of Budalangi and Kakamega. It is as a result of environmental degradation that our people are facing tragedies. There is absolutely no reason why there should not have been extension officers who should have prevented people cultivating on such steep slopes in Kakamega. What is happening in Budalangi is a result of what is happening in Cherangany Hills; destruction of forests. So the people of Budalangi are literally victims of the destructive activities upstream. We ought to be concerned about that. Again, there is no reason why the two Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources and that of Water and Irrigation should not be working together. When I see the Minister in charge of disaster management going to Budalangi and Kakamega, I wish that the resources were being sent to Cherangany to plant trees and prevent the destruction of those hills. We must begin to differentiate between causes and symptoms. What we see in Kakamega and Budalangi are symptoms of destruction going on upstream, especially in the forests. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask this Minister - since the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources has never responded - that he advocates, through the Cabinet for a national tree planting week. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad to suggest that we make the Easter weekend a national tree planting weekend because we have four days. We used to stage the Safari Rally which we do not do any more nowadays. We can mobilise all our people everywhere to plant trees during the Easter weekend because we have four days when we do virtually nothing. We need trees in this country, especially given the fact that global warming is here with us. We are all hearing and reading about it. One of the ministries that will feel the impact of global warming is this Ministry of Water and Irrigation because the snow on the mountains is melting. We all know that. We also know that a lot of the water reservoirs on the mountains are drying up due to global warming and, therefore, many of our rivers will dry up. This Ministry and the Ministry of Energy, which gets much of its water from our rivers will not get enough water to generate energy. So, any Ministry that is dependent on water is going to feel the impact very seriously. So, it is in our national interests that we have a national tree planting week. There are many things we cannot interfere with. We are not contributing much to the green house gases that every scientist in this area is telling us that the people within the tropics, especially in Africa are going to be most hit by the global warming. One thing we can do to mitigate the impact is to plant trees. So, Mr. Minister, maybe the Minister can help in launching a national tree planting week in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, this Ministry can also do a lot in promoting water harvesting, especially at the farm level to prevent the floods that run along roads. I think that this is something that can be achievable with very little input. With these remarks, I support."
}