Water & Irrigation Cabinet Secretary, Hon Eugene Wamalwa, Commissions Embu Water Laboratory
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has commissioned a Sh32 million water laboratory in Embu County to ensure that clean water is available for consumption by area residents, Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has said.
Speaking in Embu during a tour of water projects in the area on 9th March 2016, Mr Wamalwa said that the laboratory, which was constructed with funds from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Upper Tana Natural resources Management Project (UTaNRMP), would serve the Eastern region of Mt Kenya. The laboratory was meant to ensure water consumed by residents in the region was of good the quality. The Cabinet secretary noted that a similar lab had been constructed in Murang’a town.
The Project Coordinator for the Upper Tana Natural Resources Management Project, Ms Muthoni F. Livingstone, noted that the project was working to reduce environmental degradation in the project area and promote sustainable management of natural resources both inside and outside the protected areas to mitigate climate change. She noted that over and above the two water laboraties for water quality monitoring, the project had also put 40Ha of land under irrigation in Ishiara, constructed two common water intakes to enhance efficiency in water abstraction, developed ten springs and rehabilitated 4 shallow wells. The project had also constructed 50Km of solar electricity fence along Mt Kenya to address human wildlife conflict and management of the forest resource, rehabilitated 1,033Ha of forest in the Mt Kenya and Aberdares forests ecosystems and supported 1,000 schools under the school greening program where each school was given 500 seedlings. The project had also given support to communities to develop sub-catchment management plans and Participatory Forest Management Plans.
On behalf of the National government, the cabinet secretary thanked the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) for the support it was extending to the citizens of Kenya through UTaNRMP.
