Environmentalists advise on enactment of laws to regulate Sand Harvesting

Kitui, Tuesday June 13, 2023

KNA by Denson Mututo / Morinwa Lister 

Environmentalists in Kitui have advised swift enactment of laws to regulate sand harvesting across the county in an effort to minimize negative environmental impacts its excessive harvesting causes. 

While lamenting the unregulated massive sand harvesting activities that have been taking place in the county for years, the environmentalists warned locals to prepare for worse environmental conditions for both human and animals in near future unless laws regulating sand harvesting are enacted and enforced immediately. 

The environmentalists were speaking Monday during a public participation forum on sand harvesting held in Kitui town.

The forum that was attended by representatives from the government, the private sector, and civil society organizations was organized by the Kitui County Government in collaboration with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

The participants discussed the environmental and economic impacts of sand harvesting and proposed measures to regulate the industry with expert environmentalists warning that sand harvesting is a major threat to the environment and human lives in Kitui County.

Unregulated sand harvesting, they noted, caused soil erosion, riverbank degradation and destruction of wildlife habitat.

Area residents expressed concern about the economic impact of sand harvesting. They claimed that the industry is dominated by a small number of wealthy individuals and that much of the profits did not benefit the local community.

The participants proposed a raft of measures to regulate the sand harvesting industry including enacting a law to regulate the activity, establishing a monitoring and enforcement mechanism, promoting sustainable sand harvesting practices and investing in environmental rehabilitation. 

The participants called on the government to implement these measures and to ensure that the benefits of sand harvesting are shared equitably by the local community.

Courtesy ; K. N. A