Effects of quarrying activities on the environment in Nairobi county: a case study of Embakasi district.

Abstract

Quarrying is an activity where stones are dug for the purpose of being used in building, making roads through cutting, digging or blasting. Quarrying is a huge supporter of local economic development: as the use of extracted material enhances trade, creating jobs for most people who depend on this for their livelihoods aside from other economic activities. Quarrying is a short-term activity with long term effects it comes along with the promises of wealth and jobs but it brings high environmental costs. The main aim of the study was to unearth impacts that quarrying activities has on health of the quarry workers and people living next to the quarries as well as physical environment. The general objective of the study was: to examine the effect of quarrying activities to the environment. Specifically, the study examined the effects of quarrying activities on the natural and human environments. The null hypothesis that was tested was to find out if there was a relationship between quarrying activity and the environment which included both the physical and human environment. Questionnaires and interview were used as tools of data collection. The questionnaires were administered to quarry workers, quarry owners and people living next to the quarries to gather the information required. The effects of quarrying on the environment that included the landscape were observed. Stratified random sampling was done to get the target population of 189, which was used to gather data. The information collected was analyzed using SPPS for cross tabulation and to generate frequencies and statistical graphs for the interpretation of data. Through Chi square test it was established that there was a relationship between the quarrying activity and the health of both the quarry workers and area residents. The findings of the study indicated that the workers did not have protective gears which are a requirement in their profession. This increases the effects to the health of the quarry workers. The findings showed that regardless of the important role that quarrying activities played in the economic growth; it resulted into negative effects to the environment such as land degradation. Other quarry workers were not provided by the protective gear that they need as they carry out their duties and as result they are exposed to dangers which affect them. This shows that most of the quarry companies do not adhere to the set environmental legislation such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2007. Results shows that the quarries produce a lot of dust and noise and this affects the quarry workers and people living close to them. The area was mainly a grazing land and farm land before the location of the quarries, when the quarrying companies were established a lot of vegetation has been lost. The several quarries that have been abandoned act as dumping site where people damp waste from other construction sites and waste from the nearby house hold. The vegetation has been affected due to dust accumulation which hinders growth. Future interventions should be taken by the Government of Kenya to ensure that the laws governing the quarrying and mining industries are observed through enhanced surveillance. Licenses of the quarry owners who do not adhere to the set laws should be revoked. Compliance monitoring visits to quarry sites should be undertaken routinely so as to minimize the negative effects of quarrying operations on humans and the environment. Further research on more advanced methods that can reduce the effects of the quarrying activity on the environment should be carried out. Research should be carried out to identify the effects of the waste being dumped in the abandoned quarries on the health of the people living in the surrounding area.