27-year-old gets global award after forcing Kenya to stop illegal activities in Mt Kenya
Kenyans making a global impact. Congratulations!!!
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Wesley Kipng’eno Sonoiya - a communication specialist at Mount Kenya Ewaso Water Partnership - produced a video titled: Water Abstraction in Mt Kenya, highlighting massive over-exploitation of upstream water resources on the mountain.
The exposé revealed how private developers have set up over 75 intake points on several Mt Kenya rivers including Sagana and Thegu.
According to the findings, the intakes have been constructed quite closely, hence, fail to adhere to the Water laws which stipulate that 30-percent of the river should flow downstream.
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"12 water intakes in a radius area of about 10km were found during the survey. They sit between 3200 to 4000 metres above sea level.
"The highest water intake recorded during the survey was at 3987 metres above sea level – an indication that water users are going higher and higher up the mountain to abstract water,” the survey indicated.
The revelations saw Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, Keriako Tobiko, issue a stern warning to firms illegally setting up the intakes noting that those found culpable will be arrested.
"It is clear that there’s massive over-exploitation upstream of water resources. In Sagana river, there are about 75 intake points and 45 on Thegu river which is proportionately high," Mr Tobiko said when he took an aerial tour of Mt Kenya to establish claims brought out in Sonia’s award-winning video.
Mr Sonoiya was handed the award in Stockholm, Sweden during the opening of World Water Week, an annual focal point for the globe’s water issues.
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This year, the forum will address the theme Water, ecosystems and human development.
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