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Issue 00607 |
March 13 - 19, 2010 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Front Page 2 |
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Drought By Arusha Times Correspondent Deforestation and wanton felling of trees may have aggravated the recent drought in parts of Arumeru district and the entire Arusha region. Mercy Silla, the Arumeru district commissioner said without deliberate efforts being stepped up to conserve the existing forest cover, a much worse situation could be in the offing. She gave the warning at Oldonyo Sambu village along the Arusha-Namanga road last week when she launched the Community Energy Resource Centre (CERC) set up to promote use of renewable sources of energy. She said some areas in Arumeru district often looked typical deserts during the dry seasons because of lack of vegetation cover and high flying dust by winds blowing through bare landscapes. The DC said not all drought impacts which often hit the area are to be blamed to nature but human-induced activities as well, especially deforestation and overgrazing. "Deforestation has aggravated drought in Arumeru especially Arumeru West. Deliberate measures must be taken to plant trees" she urged the residents of the area. She stated that proper environmental management can reduce the worst impacts of severe and prolonged droughts and consequently enhance food security of the local communities. Last year Arusha region experienced one of the most severe droughts in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of livestock perished and many families went without food because of crop failure. Areas worst hit by rain failure in Arumeru, the most populated district in Arusha region, are lowlands on Mt. Meru, especially to the west and north areas inhabited mainly by livestock keepers. Ms Silla also warned the residents of the district to avoid tampering with sources of water and river beds through farming, construction of houses or other activities that can lead to pollution. Majority of the 500,000 plus residents of the district depend on rivers and streams flowing from the slopes of Mt. Meru. The water is also used for irrigation and livestock. The DC further warned that land conflicts, for which Arumeru district is notorious for, were now shifting from purely land matters to water and its resources. She called on residents living in the drought-prone lowlands to plant drought resistant crops and those inhabiting areas with reliable rains to opt for commercial farming and modern animal rearing for higher productivity. On energy she emphasized the need for the villagers to use improved cook stoves, solar energy panels and biogas as dependence on firewood was no longer sustainable. She officially inaugurated the community energy centre which has been put up by Oikos East Africa, an Italian non-governmental organisation with the financial support of the European Union (EU). |
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