Quarry workers ordered to vacate Meru amid landslide warnings

"The climate pattern has changed. Nowadays, we either have heavy rains and some other times we face drought. Every Kenyan must take individual responsibility to plant at least ten percent tree cover in their own farms. "

In the landslide-prone area of Meru, the quarry workers have been ordered to vacate the land, according to a report by The Star.

People living in the area of Meru have been warned of expected landslides, said the county chief officer for environment Kinoti Mweiba. It is the time of the rainy season and Meru is among the most vulnerable places enduring heavy rainfall for several days.

While attending a workshop organized by the Farm Forestry Smallholder Producers Association of Kenya (FF-SPAK), Mwebia said that it would be an important step if farmers in the region become a little more careful regarding the activities that cause soil erosion which could help make a difference in improving the environment. The local residents should step up and take matters into their hands by planting more and more trees in the region to bring the ecosystem into better condition, he added.

Being a part of the workshop, FF-SPAK coordinator Edwin Kamau and chairperson Zipporah Matumbi shared ideas for improvement saying, "the climate pattern has changed. Nowadays, we either have heavy rains and some other times we face drought. Every Kenyan must take individual responsibility to plant at least ten percent tree cover in their own farms. Let us also use water in the right manner and avoid wasting it,".

He further added that their association was keen on building capacities of communities at family levels so they can use local and traditional knowledge to advance sustainable natural resource management and climate change mitigation strategies.

Adding to it, Matumbi said, "this may be the reason pests are on the increase and effects of climate change are felt by everyone,", keeping her focus on the conservationist groups who agonized deforestation in the rural areas.