Environmental impacts of a burst reservoir: A case study of Kibubuti dam in Kiambu, Kenya

Abstract

Dams have made an important and significant contribution to human development, and the benefits derived from them have been considerable. The need to conserve water resources through the construction of dams and reservoirs has iong been recognized as important in the development of iirigation agriculture.hpart from boosting food production, they help in retaining a large proportion of annual rainfall that is lost as surface runoff and sometimes causes f1ooding. In too many cases however, an unacceptable and often unnecessary price has been paid to secure those benefits especially in social and environ men tal terms, by life, displacement by communities downstream and by the natural environment. The cevelopment of dams for irrigation is being threatened by sedimentation probierns arising from degradation of catchment areas fuelled by four pressure indicators namely agricultural production, rapid population growth, poverty and wood energy demands. Therefore the implementation of catchment protection measures should form part of the dam construction process. Equally there is need for a proper legal and institutional framework to govern the construction of such dams, community water rights, and clear compensation and rehabilitation mechanisms in case of disaster. The lack of such a framework has destroyed livelihoods as water resources that were initially available to whole communities becomes the preserve of the few 'privileged in society. Moreover, when flooding occurs due to dam bursting, the ecology is destroyed on such a scale as to destroy livelihood systems, property and loss of life. - iv This project looks at the possible reasons why the Kibubuti dam in Kiambu District burst, the environmental impacts of the burst reservoir, and any recovery measures put in place to restore the ecology and livelihood systems that existed prior to the disaster. The project uses both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through field visits, and interviews and analysis of soil and water samples. Rainfall data was supplied by the meteorological department. The Kibubuti dam disaster was found to cause a wide range of environmental impacts such as soil erosion. It is recommended that afforestation efforts will help restore health to the degraded environment particularly soil erosion. Increasing the soil cover by replacing the soil cover with fertile soil to cover the exposed roots will assist to restore health to the environment. Adding manure and fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and lime to the soil will also increase its fertility to enhance soil productivity levels. The battle against land degradation can and must be won!