Author: A4KENYA

Building in the riparian areas can have serious consequences these include:

• Increase in overall flooded area: Buildings and other structures in the riparian land displace flood waters, pushing overflow further out into the watershed and affecting lands and buildings that would not be at risk otherwise.
• Greater financial losses through property damage when flooding occurs.
• Increase in risks to human safety: Deaths and injuries from drowning, being trapped in vulnerable structures, or being struck by flood debris all increase once riparian lands are developed.
• Riparian areas, which are also a key component of wetlands, are considered unsafe for construction due to the underground water systems that may weaken the foundations making the buildings potentially dangero

Importance of riparian lands

• Wetlands are important as they provide ecological services including sieving up aquatic pollutants, acting as biodiversity habitat, recharging underground water systems and help mitigating floods by regulating storm-water flow over time and increase water retention.
• The areas also aid in climate change adaptation as they support flora and fauna, recharge aquifers during the dry season, help in nutrient retention and shoreline stabilization (NEMA 2018).
• Recreation

Waterways are important sites for recreation such as walking, swimming, fishing and promoting tourism.

 

Mercy Wangui

For Nema Licence Call

0715827209

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riparian land refers to terrain that is adjacent to rivers and streams and is subject to periodic or occasional flooding. The plant species that grow in riparian areas are adapted to tolerate conditions of periodically waterlogged soils. The ecosystems of riparian areas are generally called riparian wetlands.

The Water Act 2016 defines riparian habitat as “the dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment adjacent to and associated with a watercourse”.

The riparian land stretches to a minimum of 6 metres up to a maximum of 30 metres on either side of the watercourse banks from the highest water level according to the Survey Act of 1989, and Water Quality Regulations (2006) and Water Resources Management Rules (2007).

In Kenya several buildings have been demolished because they have being built on riparian lands a good example is the south end mall in Nairobi which is shown on the link below.

https://youtu.be/hC-piBRFz_8

Mercy Wangui

For NEMA licence

Call 0715827209