This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
As the world grapples with the concept of the Anthropocene, a new environmental epoch characterized by human impact on the planet, Kenya is experiencing the harsh realities of climate change. The current flooding in the country is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of climate change and unsustainable development on the environment.
According to scientists, climate change is likely to increase flood risk and drought, making it imperative for the government to tackle the causes and effects of climate change, including flooding. While climate change has exacerbated flooding in Kenya, there is a growing consensus that unchecked development in areas that naturally absorb excess water is also to blame.
Urban areas have seen sprawling developments replace farmland that once absorbed and stored vast amounts of water, resulting in increased runoff entering man-made and natural drainage systems, increasing the intensity of flooding. River channels have been compromised in the quest for development, with no mitigation provided for loss of permeable water storage land and flood flow paths disruption.
Environmental damage from climate change and unsustainable development is often irreversible but can be managed. Improved drainage systems to store and convey runoff effectively should be provided, including upgrading sizes of drainage pipes for increased runoff and providing flood plains for flood storage, among other measures.
Kenya has also seen extensive deforestation to accommodate requirements for farmland, residential, commercial, and industrial activity. Forests are vital in absorbing greenhouse gases, and tropical deforestation is estimated to contribute more than 10 per cent of global emissions. The current tree planting campaign offers redress and should be expanded.
Furthermore, the increase in car ownership, characterized by imports of older, less efficient vehicles, some of which emit highly polluting gases, is a pressing concern. It's vital to devise minimum emissions standards to improve air quality.
As the author notes, 'We owe to the next generation an environmentally sustainable biosphere.' The current flooding in Kenya is a sign from Mother Nature that we may already be in a new and more dangerous environmental era, where cumulative human activity precipitates weather patterns with calamitous effects.
Mr. Kuria, a chartered consulting engineer based in the United Kingdom, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation.
