Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 719241,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/719241/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Katoo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 199,
        "legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
        "slug": "judah-ole-metito"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to move that the Hydrologists Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 10 of 2016) be now read a Second Time. In principle, the Bill seeks to legislate for the registration of persons practising as hydrologists or assistant hydrologists or otherwise describing themselves as “hydrologists”. This is a very simple and direct Bill. If we may ask what “hydrology” is, it is normally a scientific study of the movement, distribution and quality of water. That water should be on earth and below the earth’s surface. That brings us to what we call “water cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability”. This is very critical because we always say Kenya is a water-scarce country and I think there is an international requirement that each country should harvest to be water-safe. But we are below that standard. Therefore, it is always good to explore so many ways of providing the citizens with water because it is even a constitutional right that the people of this country, as much as they get affordable healthcare, should also get clean water. Therefore, this Bill is going to address such issues as extraction of water either on the earth that is, rivers and the lakes and also the earth’s surface which brings us to boreholes and others. All those water extraction services should really be done procedurally and in a controlled manner to protect the environment and the future generations of this country. We should really regulate how much water we should extract from the rivers and what percentage of water under the earth’s surface should be extracted in terms of boreholes. I also think it is good to have a procedure on the distance between one borehole to another. It should be controlled. Otherwise, if we get an unregulated and an uncontrolled industry, we are going to deplete more and more of our water resources. This Bill comes at a time when this country is facing, as I have said, water scarcity. The existing water resources are not utilised in a very sustainable manner. There is need for planning for sustainable water resources. The major challenge right now is an inadequate database of hydrological information, including the data on baseline river flows in different seasons. We do not have rates - as I have said - in terms of percentages, the ground water levels and the water quality as well. In terms of hydrological issues, it is good to get the kind of water we need for the healthy being of this nation. Currently, there are very many persons masquerading as hydrologists. Therefore, there is need for a legal framework to guide their performance. This Bill, therefore, seeks to recognise, in law, the provision of hydrology and regulate it. That is the main purpose of this Bill; to have recognition in law, of the practice and regulate it in a very procedural way. The Bill seeks to establish a Hydrologist Registration Board. This board, among other things and functions, will regulate, coordinate and oversee the practice of hydrology and promote the standard of the professional competence and practise among the hydrologists. It is also going to coordinate research, investigations and surveys in the hydrological field and demand and satisfy hydrological studies and reports necessary for the design of the hydraulic structures. Therefore, it is good to have such a board. Just like the way we have boards regulating engineers, doctors and legal practice, it is also good to have a board that is going to---"
}