A Review of Some Indices used for Drought Studies

Droughts are serious extreme events that have adverse effects on the physical environment and water resource systems in both developed and developing countries. Consequently, there is need for adequate measures for responding to and mitigating various impacts arising from drought occurrence. The design and implementation of drought mitigation and response strategies requires an understanding of the various indices that are used to examine drought both at single site and in an area. In the case of water resources management during critical drought periods for instance, a means of objectively identifying drought events in terms time and duration of occurrence, magnitude and severity is required. This is possible only using various indices to characterize drought. In this paper, some of the key drought indices are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses identified. Keywords: drought, index, severity, mitigatio

Climate Finance: Fears and Hopes for Developing Countries

This article looks at the current climate finance architecture and its impact on developing countries climate change responses. The primary aim is to capture the contradictions that exist in the climate finance architecture particularly between those recommended by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and those advanced by developed countries otherwise known as non-UNFCCC climate financing mechanisms. The overall observation is that once non-UNFCCC climate financing mechanisms emerged and the more they were justified using the UNFCCC, the global response to the climate change problem was fatally wounded through a procedural derailment of UNFCCC objectives. This article calls for a review of non-UNFCCC with the aim of divesting them of the profit factor which in this case is the problematic. Keywords: Climate, Finance, Mechanisms, Governance, Privatization, Stalemate

Analysis of Hydrological Drought Events in the Upper Tana Basin of Kenya

Drought is a major environmental hazard which has serious implications for water management and environmental protection. This is especially so when unsustainable water management, as well as predicted climate change effects in droughts, could result in severe impacts on nature and society. Inefficient management of drought and water resources could put aquatic ecosystems under serious severe stress. The lack of adequate water availability in rivers during drought episodes leads to heavy overexploitation of the rivers and reservoirs, which significantly affects the survival of associated biological diversity. It is therefore essential to know the occurrence of drought events in river basins with a view to establishing and developing measures to minimize the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of its effects in these areas. In this paper, drought duration and severity were examined in four homogenous regions of the upper Tana basin. The homogenous regions were established using principal component analysis results of discharge data from twenty two river gauge stations in basin. The runs analysis technique was then applied to examine the drought duration and severity at the homogenous regions of the basin. Results indicated that the mean drought duration varied from 4 to 11 months across the regions whilst the standardized mean severity ranged from 0.63 to 3.89. Two of the regions experienced nearly the same standardized mean severity. Drought events occurred at times when the basin experienced rainfall deficits an indication that low rainfall affects discharge in the rivers of the basin. The variations in the number and frequency of the drought events in the homogenous regions would possibly be related to the semi-arid and arid nature of the climate in most of the southern and eastern parts of the basin. To minimize the impacts of drought in the basin, it is recommended that capacity building of the local communities in the basin be done focusing on water conservation and alternative livelihoods systems to minimize overdependence on water resources in the basin. Keywords: Drought, hydrological drought, runs analysis, water managemen

Analysis of Environmental Initiatives on Business Performance Sustainability at the Lake Naivasha Ecosystem, Kenya

Increasing degradation of the natural environment is one of the main threats to human survival in the long term. Business enterprises’ environmental commitment has, therefore, become an important variable in most of today’s competitive business environment. Activities of most enterprises are the main causes of environmental degradation which in turn impact on their performance. This study therefore looks at the specific business environmental initiatives and how they impact on their performance. The overall objective of the study was to establish the impact of environmental initiatives on business performance sustainability around Lake Naivasha. In order to achieve this objective, the research was guided by various specific objectives which included examining forms of environmental degradation, examining environmental initiatives put in place to mitigate on degradation, and examining effects of environmental initiatives of various business operations on social capital. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the purposes of the study. Primary data was collected through various instruments including questionnaires administered to individual respondents, focus group discussions, in depth interviews and observation schedules. Secondary data was obtained from previous study reports, articles, professional journals, various businesses’ monitoring records, annual sales reports and any other relevant literature that the researcher came across in the course of the study. The collected data was interpreted and analysed using discriminant analysis. The Scientific Package for Social Studies (SPSS) was used for the analysis. The study design was descriptive survey in order to pick behaviours which needed to be mitigated for purposes of enterprise performance sustainability. Purposive random sampling was used from the target population which comprised of farming, hospitality and fishing sectors. For purposes of establishing the views of the stakeholders, the officials of various organisations that have interests on the Lake Naivasha ecosystem were incorporated into a focus group and their views were sought through group discussions. The key findings of the study were that; the main forms of environmental degradation are nutrients discharge to the lake, water abstraction, cutting of trees, overgrazing and green house gases effects. The implication of the findings is that unless businesses concerned address environmental issues their performance sustainability may not be assured going forward. The study recommends that an evaluative criteria defining the impacts that are acceptable to the society be determined, policy bundles that are currently in place be reviewed to achieve diverse societal objectives, strategic decisions made by organisations operating in the area be assessed in light of the actors involved and investment in better information monitoring and enforcement of rules and regulations be undertaken. Lastly, since specific organisational sustainability outcomes seem to consistently fail to meet broad societal expectation, the articulation of stakeholder interests need to be considered by involving all actors in the environmental governance process. Keywords: Environmental initiative on Business Performance Sustainability, Lake Naivasha, Keny

Regionalization of the Upper Tana Basin of Kenya Using Stream Flow Records

In this study, the upper Tana basin of Kenya was delineated into homogenous hydrological zones based on monthly stream flow records from several river gauge stations in the basin using the empirical orthogonal function analysis technique. Results indicate the study basin to be grouped into four homogenous hydrological zones that seemed to reflect the drainage, geological and climatic patterns of the catchments of the basin. The identified zones would be useful and crucial to understanding the physical and dynamic processes governing hydrology and water use such as hydroelectric power, storage and irrigation potential and other land use characteristics in the different catchments of the basin

Effectiveness of sanitation policy instruments in Mavoko Municipality of Machakos County, Kenya

Improved sanitation leads to better environmental quality however threatened environments, population densities and inadequate finances are some of the challenges facing proper sanitation management. This paper sought to establish the effectiveness of policy, legal and institutional frameworks on promotion of sanitation management in Mavoko Municipality. Resident’s awareness and compliance with policy instruments, role and responsibilities of Mavoko Municipality Residents and Service Providers and Political Champions were used to gauge the effectiveness of these policy instruments. Mavoko Municipality has low sewer network coverage with a deficit of 86% in sewerage treatment capacity as its existing sewerage treatment capacity stands at 192,000 m3 against a required capacity of 1,407,000 m3. The study site covered the urbanizing areas within the Municipality. A cross-sectional study design was chosen and both primary and secondary data were collected. 385 house hold respondents were interviewed. Simple random and purposive sampling methods were used to administer questionnaires to standalone houses and comprehensive housing schemes. Key informant interviews with County and National Officials mandated with sanitation management related services were conducted using structured forms and interview guides. Findings indicate that existing policies and legal frameworks are not effective as they play little role in influencing policy for the promotion of appropriate sanitation management approaches. Political championing was negligible whilst County Government performed poorly in sanitation management. Commitment to providing sanitation services and building capacities and strengths of Service Providers and emerging Residential Neighbourhood Association is recommended to promote good practices in sanitation and environmental management

Environmental Factors Influencing the Sustenance of the Camel Milk Value Chain in Isiolo County, Northern Kenya

Dryland areas in northern Kenya experience challenges due to various factors, including environmental degradation associated with unstable weather conditions and climate change. These and related risks and stressors are threats to the sustenance of camel milk production for many of Kenya’s northern communities. We conducted a study among the pastoral communities in Isiolo County whose principal source of livelihood is dependent on camel production. In this paper, we discuss the drivers of the environmental factors influencing the resilience and sustainability of the camel milk value chain in Isiolo County, northern Kenya. We analyzed (i) the internal factors that influence the system, which includes: the categories and economic contributions of livestock-based value chains, the occupation of the camel milk value chain micro players, and land-use practices in Isiolo County, and (ii) the external factors influencing the system: the climatic variability (2014–2017) and its effect on the camel milk value chain, and the vegetation condition index (VCI) indicating drought trends for Isiolo County (2002–2020). The study adopted a field survey through interviews with randomly selected households involved in the camel milk value chain by using a survey questionnaire and a survey guide for focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). The results from the study showed camel milk as a dominant value chain among the livestock-based value chain products in Isiolo County, the variations in quantities of camel milk supplied due to changes in seasonality, and we show that the current system is not sustainable. We conclude with recommendations to establish a modernized camel milk value chain based on improved natural resources management for a resilient and sustainable system