Coca Cola seeks to preserve Kenya's water towers

Coca Cola has backed a Sh1.3 billion fund that is set to be established for preservation of Kenya’s water towers.

The beverage maker Wednesday donated Sh13 million to go towards creation of the Nairobi Water Fund, a project of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in partnership with public and private institutions.

“This project will begin by addressing conservation problems in the Tana River Water Basin,” said Munira Bashir, TNC Kenya programme director.

Tana Basin is the country’s main water supply source, producing 90 per cent of Nairobi’s water for domestic and industrial use. It also supplies water to five major dams that generate about 60 per cent of Kenya’s electricity.

“This is why it’s important for us to conserve this ecosystem. If we don’t, more than five million Kenyans depending on it will suffer,” said Ms Bashir.

She noted that Tana, just as other water towers, is under threat due to environmentally destructive activities such as deforestation, loss of vegetation cover, farming along water bodies and rampant irrigation practices that consume a lot of water.

The Water Fund, which will be run as an endowment fund, seeks to raise Sh1.3 billion by 2018.

“These finances will enable us to expand our work to other water catchment areas such as the Mau and Mara,” said Ms Bashir.

The proposed project seeks to reduce water usage on 300 small-scale farms located in the Tana River basin through efficient irrigation technologies like drip.

“It will also train women in agroforestry, plant native trees and bamboos to protect water catchment areas.”

In addition, said Ms Bashir, the fund would be used to generate alternative sources of livelihoods for communities whose income generating activities degrade the Tana Basin.