Characterization of Chyulu Hills Watershed Ecosystem Services in South-Eastern Kenya

Abstract

<p class="1Body">Water is an important good provided by watersheds and is critical in sustaining life and socio-economic development. This study evaluated water provision in the Chyulu Hills watershed which is one of the important dry land water catchments in Kenya. Surface water discharge was mainly through rivers and springs with the latter being more prevalent than the former while ground water provision was primarily through boreholes and shallow wells. Springs discharged the highest water volume annually estimated at 128.14million m<sup>3</sup> or 85.14% of all the water discharged in the watershed, with shallow wells and boreholes discharging the least water. For all the springs found in the watershed, Mzima springs discharged the highest water volume estimated at nearly 113.15 million m<sup>3</sup> annually or 88.30% of the water produced by all the springs; and about 75.19% of the water in the entire watershed. Rivers which were active had a total water discharge of about 20.66million m<sup>3</sup> per year, with Kibwezi River discharging 17.59 million m<sup>3</sup> annually or 85.14% of all the water from rivers. Shallow wells were mainly prevalent at Nthongoni and the Makindu, and their annual water discharge was about 16.96million m<sup>3</sup> per year with boreholes contributing 98.87% (approximately 16.76 million m<sup>3</sup>/yr.) of the ground water, and the rest (19,169.92m<sup>3</sup>/yr.) being contributed by shallow wells. The total amount of water discharged in the watershed by the combined water source types was about 150.49 million m3/yr.</p>

Characterization of Water Source Types and Uses in Kirisia Forest Watershed, Samburu County, Kenya

“…Urban populations in centers like Maralal town, Kisima and Sukuta Marmar also depended on water associated with the watershed. However, the diversity of water users in the watershed was much lower compared to that of the Chyulu Hills (Pringle & Quayle, 2014;Kiringe et al 2015a) included; domestic water users, livestock keepers, small scale irrigators, wildlife conservationists, large scale irrigators and tourism operators. This difference may be attributed to the high water provision capacity of the the Chyulu Hills watershed compared to Kirisia Forest.…”

Influence of Community Forest Association Activities on Dryland Resources Management: Case of Kibwezi Forest in Kenya

“…Kibwezi forest is located in Kibwezi Sub County of Makueni County Kenya and covers an area of 5849 hectares. The forest is located in the periphery of Chyulu ecosystem [21]. It is located at latitude -2.43 S, longitude 37.91 E and besides Nairobi Mombasa road; approximately 190 km South East of Nairobi [21].…”

“…The forest is located in the periphery of Chyulu ecosystem [21]. It is located at latitude -2.43 S, longitude 37.91 E and besides Nairobi Mombasa road; approximately 190 km South East of Nairobi [21]. It extends to Chyulu national park to the West and borders Kibwezi town to the South East.…”

“…The area has moisture indices of 32%. February and October are the hottest months while July is the coolest [21].…”

“…In Kibwezi Sub County of Makueni County, drying of Kambu River, Mutitu Andei and turning of great Kiboko river into seasonal rivers is an indicator of the degradation in Kibwezi forest [21]. This shows how this kind of forests have been neglected over time.…”