Is There Hope for Kenya's Nairobi River?
2023-02-06
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1As the river moves through Kenya's capital Nairobi, the clear water turns black.
2And large birds feed on dead animals alongside.
3The Nairobi River crosses Kibera, a neighborhood of nearly 200,000 poor people.
4It goes near several factories that make clothes, alcohol, and building materials.
5Environmentalists have accused them of releasing untreated wastewater and other pollutants like oil, plastic and glass into the water.
6Experts and locals fear the water is harming plants in nearby farms that feed many Kenyans.
7Community groups help clean up the river and the government is increasing its efforts.
8But families in the quickly growing suburb of Athi River, some 30 kilometers away, say they can no longer depend on the water.
9Anne Nduta is a mother of two babies.
10At times, she uses the river's dark waters to wash her children's clothes by hand.
11"When it rains, the Athi River water is usually full of garbage, when it clears a bit we use it to wash clothes," said Nduta.
12"But as the dry season continues, the water becomes darker in color and we have to start buying expensive... water."
13A 20-liter can of water sells for 20 shillings, or $0.16.
14Nduta would need four of them to wash her babies' clothes every three days.
15Morris Mutunga grows vegetables like kale, spinach and amaranth on his farm in the Athi River area.
16He has watched crops like French beans shrink when he used water from the river.
17"I wish those polluting this river upstream in Nairobi could stop for the sake of food security in our country," he said.
18The area is the source of many vegetables sold in Nairobi markets.
19Stephen Obiero is a scientist who studies organisms and the environment.
20He said that waste in the river used to water farmland could expose plant products to bacteria and viruses.
21The problems start further up the river.
22Violet Ahuga says her family defecates in bags and throws them in the river because they cannot pay to use modern toilets.
23She said, "I know what I'm doing is pollution, but there's no other way because I cannot afford the 850-shilling (about $6.85) monthly toilet fee."
24Besides, many unofficial housing areas also direct their wastewater lines straight into the river.
25The settlements have open trenches where people pour dirty water that flows into the river.
26Kenya's new national government says it is trying to clean up the river.
27The government has formed a group to clean up and protect the river.
28But the group has no budget and is yet to meet.
29The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is responsible for overseeing the river's water quality.
30Some Kenyan lawmakers have accused the agency of letting industries get away with polluting the river.
31Research groups have found high levels of heavy metals, like lead, barium, iron, aluminum, zinc and copper, along the river.
32Alex Okaru is a public health expert at the University of Nairobi.
33Okuru said if people drank the water, high levels of heavy metals could cause health effects such as liver and kidney damage.
34NEMA chief David Ongare told The Associated Press that few companies are being charged because the government is working with industries to deal with pollution.
35He said businesses are asking NEMA for help to follow its rules.
36And the agency follows all reported incidents of pollution.
37He added that the agency has also been watching companies with past pollution problems.
38And he said that if any continue to have problems action would be taken.
39Locals and community groups say a way to clean up the river would be to provide modern toilets at little or no cost.
40In Kibera, an organization called Mazingira Yetu, Swahili for Our Environment, is working with the government to build 19 modern toilets.
41The organization's co-founder, Sam Dindi, said they also wanted to prevent plastic and other waste from being dropped in the river.
42Plastic waste could be reused and organic waste, Dindi said, could turn into fertilizer.
43I'm Dan Novak.
1As the river moves through Kenya's capital Nairobi, the clear water turns black. And large birds feed on dead animals alongside. 2The Nairobi River crosses Kibera, a neighborhood of nearly 200,000 poor people. It goes near several factories that make clothes, alcohol, and building materials. Environmentalists have accused them of releasing untreated wastewater and other pollutants like oil, plastic and glass into the water. 3Experts and locals fear the water is harming plants in nearby farms that feed many Kenyans. Community groups help clean up the river and the government is increasing its efforts. But families in the quickly growing suburb of Athi River, some 30 kilometers away, say they can no longer depend on the water. 4Anne Nduta is a mother of two babies. At times, she uses the river's dark waters to wash her children's clothes by hand. 5"When it rains, the Athi River water is usually full of garbage, when it clears a bit we use it to wash clothes," said Nduta. "But as the dry season continues, the water becomes darker in color and we have to start buying expensive... water." 6A 20-liter can of water sells for 20 shillings, or $0.16. Nduta would need four of them to wash her babies' clothes every three days. 7Morris Mutunga grows vegetables like kale, spinach and amaranth on his farm in the Athi River area. He has watched crops like French beans shrink when he used water from the river. 8"I wish those polluting this river upstream in Nairobi could stop for the sake of food security in our country," he said. The area is the source of many vegetables sold in Nairobi markets. 9Stephen Obiero is a scientist who studies organisms and the environment. He said that waste in the river used to water farmland could expose plant products to bacteria and viruses. 10The problems start upstream 11The problems start further up the river. 12Violet Ahuga says her family defecates in bags and throws them in the river because they cannot pay to use modern toilets. She said, "I know what I'm doing is pollution, but there's no other way because I cannot afford the 850-shilling (about $6.85) monthly toilet fee." 13Besides, many unofficial housing areas also direct their wastewater lines straight into the river. The settlements have open trenches where people pour dirty water that flows into the river. 14Kenya's new national government says it is trying to clean up the river. The government has formed a group to clean up and protect the river. But the group has no budget and is yet to meet. 15The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is responsible for overseeing the river's water quality. Some Kenyan lawmakers have accused the agency of letting industries get away with polluting the river. 16Research groups have found high levels of heavy metals, like lead, barium, iron, aluminum, zinc and copper, along the river. 17Alex Okaru is a public health expert at the University of Nairobi. Okuru said if people drank the water, high levels of heavy metals could cause health effects such as liver and kidney damage. 18NEMA chief David Ongare told The Associated Press that few companies are being charged because the government is working with industries to deal with pollution. 19He said businesses are asking NEMA for help to follow its rules. And the agency follows all reported incidents of pollution. 20He added that the agency has also been watching companies with past pollution problems. And he said that if any continue to have problems action would be taken. 21Locals and community groups say a way to clean up the river would be to provide modern toilets at little or no cost. 22In Kibera, an organization called Mazingira Yetu, Swahili for Our Environment, is working with the government to build 19 modern toilets. 23The organization's co-founder, Sam Dindi, said they also wanted to prevent plastic and other waste from being dropped in the river. Plastic waste could be reused and organic waste, Dindi said, could turn into fertilizer. 24I'm Dan Novak. 25Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 26_______________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28garbage - n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out 29upstream - n. in the direction opposite to the flow in a stream, river, etc. 30sake of - n. the benefit of someone or something 31defecate - v. to pass solid waste from the body 32toilet - n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water 33afford - v. to be able to pay for 34trench - n. a long, narrow hole that is dug in the ground 35fertilizer - n. a substance that is added to soil to help the growth of plants