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{
    "id": 212633,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/212633/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 168,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Maathai",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 226,
        "legal_name": "Wangari Muta Maathai",
        "slug": "wangari-maathai"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I thank the Minister for the excellent work that his Ministry is doing. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the House to a subject that I always observe almost every time we discuss this Vote. I appeal to the Minister and the Ministry to pay attention to it. It is about the management of our road reserves. The road reserves in many parts of our country are there. There seems to be a perception that, in fact, road reserves should be there. But the road reserves, especially in rural areas, contribute towards soil erosion. When it rains, the water runs along the roads and, in many places, destroy the work that would have been done by the Ministry before the rains come. Somehow, we have never connected the fact that, when we open up the roads and use tractors to loosen up the soil, we make it very easy for that soil to be washed away when it rains. Since the water is heavy with silt, it literally destroys the road. More often than not, much of the work that will have been done during the dry season completely destroys the roads. This is an area that, perhaps, the Ministry is not keen to manage. It could be easily managed by, first of all, allowing the growth of vegetation along the roads. I know that many people do not like trees on road reserves. They say that trees create obstacles and obstruct vision. But trees can be very useful in stabilising roads and making sure that when it rains, soil erosion does not take place. In the highlands, like where I come from, those trees help to prevent landslides which, quite often, July 24, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2697 cut the roads into two! It becomes impossible for people to pass. It also takes a long time to repair such roads because of the landslides. I would like to encourage the Ministry to encourage the growth of vegetation on road reserves and plant trees especially in the highlands."
}