Impact of Land Use Activities on Itare River Bank Stability and Water Quality in South West Mau Water Catchment, Kenya

This study was done to determine the impact of land use activities on Itare river bank stability and water quality, with a view to providing baseline information for management and conservation of Itare riparian zone. Specific objectives were to determine (i) Land management and agroforestry practices adopted by farmers along river Itare, (ii) Types of forests and common tree species on farms bordering river Itare and the state of riverbank stability, (iii) Types of livestock kept and grazing types used by farmers along river Itare, and (iv) River Itare water quality with respect to prevailing land use practices and in comparison to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) limits. Stratified random sampling of farmers along Itare River was done and semi-structured questionnaires were administered to them to determine the nature of land use practices in the zone. Water samples were collected from three sites along the river and selected water quality parameters were determined within forty eight (48) hours. Results indicated that the main land management practices are contour farming and terracing (76%) and agroforestry practices in the riparian zone are boundary planting (34%), woodlots (27%), and scattered trees on farms (27%). The common tree species on farms bordering the river are Eucalyptus spp (22%), Grevillea spp (21%) and Croton spp (17%). Also, 65% of the farmers kept cattle and 93.5% of the livestock are freely grazed. The riverbank was stable upstream and midstream but unstable downstream. Water pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), NO3-, NO2- levels and microbe total viable count (/100ml) at the three sites were lower than (or within) KEBS limits although turbidity increased downstream and DO at the three sites was significantly lower downstream (4.55 mg/L; p = 0.037). Iron concentration (mg/L) in the upstream sections of the river was significantly lower than that in the downstream (2.86 mg/L; p = 0.008). Escherichia coli counts were above KEBS limit downstream (2 counts/ 100 ml). Itare riverbank at the downstream site is unstable and degraded due to intense land use activities, which also has lead to low water quality downstream, especially in terms of E. coli counts. Water from the river at the upstream and midstreams sections is, however, safe for drinking. This study recommends public campaign for riparian zone protection and ecologically sound anthropogenic waste management downstream of River Itare.

Journal Article

Landuse, Riverbank, Mau, Catchment, Itare

Musa Gweya Apudo, Kenneth Opiyo Odhiambo and Simon Kipchumba Rop (2016) Impact of Land Use Activities on Itare River Bank Stability and Water Quality in South West Mau Water Catchment, Kenya, Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 10(6):15-27.