Effects Of Quarrying On The Environment: A Case Study Of Tala, Machakos District, Kenya

ABSTACT

The study was conducted to establish the effects of qua1Tying on the environment using Tala, Machakos district as the case study in Kenya. Machakos district is found in the Eastern province of Kenya. It was intended to establish the extent to which quarrying has affected the environment in Tala. To examine what are the causes of quanying and suggest the possible measures through which quarrying effects on the environment. Fifty (50) respondents were randomly selected and these included households in the community and also the local council officials were interviewed to generate relevant data. Questionnaires were administered to the respondents who were able to read and write in the community. Where some of the respondents did not know how to read and write interviews were conducted. The study found that landscape degradation, soil erosion, loss of vegetation, loss of fauna were on an increase as a result of quarrying whose percentages were high as compared to the other land sue practices in Tala. The study concluded that quarrying practices affect the envirorunent in Tala that is soil erosion, water siltation, loss of vegetation and animals. The study recommended that permission to extract stones from quarries should be restricted by the government and NEMA. Sensitize the community about the effects of quarrying through media or by employing more environmental officers. Also the government should try to create more jobs to the community in order to reduce on the number people who rely on quan-ying in order to earn a living.

Table of Contents

Declaration ......................................................................................................................... i Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................... vii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................ viii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................ 1 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................ I 1.1 Background to Study ................................................................................................. I 1.2 Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives of the Study .............................................................................................. 2 1.3.1 General Objective ................................................................................................... 2 1.3.2 Specific Objectives ................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Scope of the Study ..................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................... .3 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. .4 2. 0 Literature Review ..................................................................................................... .4 2.1 Quaffying Process ...................................................................................................... 5 2.2Effects of quarrying on the environment. ................................................................... 7 CHAPTER THREE ......................................................................................................... 11 3.0 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 11 3. I Research Design ...................................................................................................... 11 3 .2 Study Area ............................................................................................................... 11 3 .3 Sample Selection ..................................................................................................... 11 3.4 Data Collection methods .......................................................................................... I I 3.5 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 12 3.6 Problems Encountered ............................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 13 4.0 Findings and Discussions ........................................................................................ 13 V 4.1 Background Information on Respondents ............................................................... 13 4.2 Major Land Use Practices in Tala ........................................................................... 15 4.2.1 Agriculture ........................................................................................................ 15 4.2.2 Brick making .................................................................................................... 16 4.2.3 Clay mining ...................................................................................................... 16 4.2.4 Quanying .......................................................................................................... 16 4.3 Effects of Quarrying on the Environment.. ............................................................. 16 4.3.2 Landscape degradation ..................................................................................... 17 4.3.3 Soil erosion ....................................................................................................... 17 4.3.4 Loss of soil fauna .............................................................................................. 17 4.4 Mitigation Measures to the problem with land use practices in Tala ...................... 18 CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................. 19 5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations .......................................................................... 19 5.1 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 19 5.2, Recommendations .................................................................................................... l 9 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 21 APPENDIX I QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................ 22