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{
    "id": 530670,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/530670/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 110,
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    "content": "from such services and a lot of cloud in the sky for us to have rainfall, be it relief or orographic. Therefore, this matter is important, yet we are not paying a lot of attention to it. But the problem is real and serious. Every other time we have rainfall, watch the amount of rainfall that falls, the amount of erosion that takes place particularly on the river banks and watch the colour of these rivers which turns brown. The amount of alluvial deposits which will be transported from such areas to the sea is in terms of millions and billions of tonnes, all of it going to waste. That means that we are going to allow the alluvial fertile top soil to be washed away to the ocean, as if it has no significance at all to our economy. This is what we are trying to prevent. In Europe--- Many people have talked about Europe and the rivers – River Thames, River Rhine and River Danube and many other rivers in America. What you see there is because the government has made deliberate efforts to canalize the rivers. These rivers will only flow with that water which is regulated. This is water which will move from the mountains all the way to the seas in a defined channel meaning that there will not be much of lateral erosion, there will be no destruction of banks and there will be no advancement of banks towards the residential areas. That is not the same here in Kenya, yet it is possible for us to prevent that. The moment we canalize such rivers, we will also add more value to it because barges or some small boats, fishing and even communication infrastructure will be improved. That way, we are going to harness even transportation from the rural to urban areas and vice versa . Even the tourist sites will increase and we are going to have better money coming to our country in form of invisible exports. This is what we should address ourselves to and it is well covered by this Bill. So, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we should be serious to ourselves and be honest that we have rivers here which have never been taken care of. We have water towers which have been left without any attention at all; they have been neglected. The forest cover has been destroyed either by fire or by misuse by mankind or both by domestic animals and wild animals, yet this can be controlled. The moment you control all these things, you are conserving the environment and that is what the Bill is seeking to address. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have to address ourselves to the issue of who should benefit from the environmental cover and especially the vegetative cover. We are all beneficiaries. Some of us will benefit from the waters that will be harvested from the water sources or the regions covered by high vegetation like the mountain cover; Mt. Elgon, Cherengani Hills, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon, among others. People living in the lowlands should also be allowed to enjoy the benefits accruing from rivers which originate from the mountains. For that reason, by-laws should be passed by various counties to ensure that trees are planted to ensure there is forest cover in the mountains. Trees should also be planted in the lowlands so that water permeating from the hills flows in a defined manner. That way, we will create reservoirs and dams for use during the time of drought. That is important and can happen. It is important to note that a lot of our industrial locations have been misplaced. Most of these are found in big towns like Mombasa, Nairobi, Thika and Kisumu. There is pollution in these towns which can lead to urban climate. Urban climate also leads to The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}