Garissa farmers embark on project to protect riverbanks from floods erosion

More than 300 farmers in Garissa County have been engaged to undertake sustainable riverbank protection as the November-December short rains season continues.

The Kenya Red Cross donated wheelbarrows, spades, jembes and 10,000 sacks for the riverbank protection programme which is supported by the government of the Netherlands.

According to Abdinoor Hussein, the Kenya Red Cross North Eastern region chairman, the farmers were empowered to install sandbags to protect riverbanks from erosion.

The farmers have been losing crops due to the overflow of river water during the rainy seasons.

Abdinur said the sandbags will be strategically placed along vulnerable areas and will act as a physical barrier that absorbs and dissipates the strong flowing water, hence helping to control riverbank erosion and preventing water from submerging the farmlands.

He said the farmers of the three farm groups in Sankuri and Iftin wards will also receive over 10,000 bamboo seedlings for restoration of riparian land and riverbank protection.

He said the bamboo has been proven scientifically as the best for riverbanks protection.

Abdinoor added that the farmers would get solar-powered water pump pontoons designed to withstand the ranging floods during the rainy season.

"In the last December El Nino rains and the April-May rains, many farmers lost their water pumps that were washed away into the river by the floods. The pump pontoons will help to reduce loss of the water pumps into the river during floods," Abdinoor said.

Garissa County Agriculture and Livestock CEC Milgo Dubow appreciated the move by the Kenya Red Cross to avert losses of crops and farm implements during the rainy season.

She urged them to extend the programme to other farmers along the River Tana who experienced heavy losses in the past due to the river floods.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers Garissa Farmers Network Chairman Abdi Farah said the use of sandbags has been tested by some of the farmers before and was proven effective in preventing catastrophic damage by floods.

"This is the best traditional practice and a simple way that we can overcome the challenges we have experienced in the past," Abdi said.

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• Northern Kenya
• River Tana
• Garissa County
• Farmers
• River Tana floods
• garissa flods
• Garissa sandbags
• riverbank protection
• Garissa farmers embark on project to protect riverbanks from floods erosion
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He said more farmers will learn lessons from the 300 who were empowered to undertake the riverbank protection.

Garissa Sub-County Agricultural Officer Mohamed Hassan expressed hopes that the initiative will reduce the impact of the floods along the river.

He stated that riverbank erosion has remained the biggest challenge to farmers along the River Tana.