Kenya's water towers: can they sustain us?

  

Date Posted: 10/26/2012 4:41:05 AM

Posted By: Franco1989  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 321

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There are five major water towers in this great country of Kenya. These are the ones that supply water to the entire Kenyan population and also sustain the fragile Eco-system in those areas. The water towers include;
i) Aberdare
ii)Cherangani
iii)Mau Complex forests
iv)Mount Kenya
v)Mount Elgon

ABERDARE RANGE WATER TOWER
The Aberdare range is located on the equator. It stretches from Nyahururu in the North to Limuru in the south. It is the third highest mountain in Kenya.The Aberdare is distinguished by its unique vegetation like the bamboo forest, alpine vegetation and the thick forest with canopies. Most of the forest is gazetted as forest reserves however part of it falls within the Aberdare National Park.The Arberdare range plays a critical role in water catchment for the country and is one of the five main water towers of Kenya. The Arberdare is one of the catchment for the Ndakaini and Sasumua dams which provide most of the water for the city in the sun or th Nairobi City with more than three million people so we can gauge the importance of this water tower. The Eastern slopes are catchments of the Tana River Kenya's largest river that supplies water to the seven fork's dam a multi-purpose dam but majorly produces upto 55% of Kenya's power. It also feeds major irrigation schemes such as the Mwea Tebere and Tana Delta Irrigation schemes. The south eastern slopes of the Aberdare is the catchment for the Athi River the main tributary of the Sabaki River that drains into the Indian Ocean. The northern slopes are catchments for the Ewasso Nyiro River the major source of Lake Naivasha which is popular for the lung fish and other fishing activities that sustains the people of the town famous for it's vast horticultural production.

MOUNT KENYA
It is located at the equator 180 km

north of the capital City Nairobi. Forest vegetation covers most of the mountain and are largely indigenous which are gazetted and protected under the Mt. Kenya National Park. Just like the Aberdare it is also very core for water catchment in the country. The Tana River, Ewaso Ngiro both trace their roots to the mountain. Mt. Kenya is also very rich in biological diversity not only in terms of the species but also the eco system it supports. Mt Kenya is also an attractive scenery that is appreciated by tourists.

MAU COMPLEX
The forests when combined cover an area of over 400,000 hectares and is the largest remaining closed canopy forest in Eastern Africa and also the largest water tower in Kenya. The forests that constitute the forest are Transmara, Maasai Mau, Mau Narok, Londiani, Tinderet, Maji Mazuri, Lembus forests and others. The Mau complex provides the upper catchment of very many rivers which include Nzoia, Kerio, Ewaso Ngiro, Yala, Nyando and others that feed into major lakes including Natron, Victoria, Turkana, Baringo and Nakuru. The forests of the Mau Complex are also very rich in flora and Fauna.

MOUNT ELGON FOREST

It is located north of Lake Victoria on the border of Kenya and Uganda. Mt. Elgon is a volcanic mountain. Elgon forms the upper catchment for two major rivers Nzoia and Turkwel. Nzoia River caters for the high population of the Western province before flowing into lake Victoria. The Turkwel River is one of the major rivers that flow ino the Turkana lake the other being Kerio river. The Turkwel Gorge dam provides more power to the national grid and thus as long as the Mt. Elgon tower is sustainable Kenya will always have light.

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