Impacts of Dams in Economic Development in Kenya

IMPACTS OF DAMS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTIntroductionWater is everything; nothing covers the world more than water. A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect water or for storage of water which can be evenly distributed between locations.Dam projects generate numerous impacts both on the region where they are located, as wellAs at an inter-regional, national and even global level. These include socio-economic, health,Institutional, environmental, ecological, and cultural impacts.ImpactsWater for irrigationMost of kenya been semi arid dams and its dependency on rain fed agriculture has really hurt the economy. Agriculture accounts for a quarter of gross domestic product in east Africa's largest economy, generating 45 percent of income and contributing more than half of foreign exchange earnings. The rise in global food prices and fertilizers has driven up local food prices in Kenya, where the annual inflation rate was 28.4 percent in October. Stripping out food items, the rate was 13.0 percent. "We have the potential to become the grain-basket for this region and beyond. Our farmers are capable of doubling productivity so that we have food security for our people and a surplus for export," Kibaki told an agriculture conference.For economy to grow the country must feed its citizens; no one can work on an empty stomach, one such project is Sabaki river dam in malindi a place known for the wrong reasons. But with the dam food security has been achieved

Irrigated landDamDry land Water supply for a town or cityA clean, sustainable water supply is vital for our health and one of the most important issues facing the region. The provision of a safe and secure water supply is one of the main responsibilities of govt, as is the treatment of wastewater to environmentally safe standards

The works undertaken include Dams/weirs and diversion works Boreholes and water pans Pumping stations Water treatment works Water pipe networks IrrigationOne of such dam is Koru dam on River Nyando, Nyanza Province. Principally the dam is to control of the perennial flooding of the Nyando plains. Use of the dam to supply water to Kisumu City will have a great economic impact on kisumu city which does not have a constant water supplyGenerate hydroelectric power; Electricity is the cheapest renewable source of energy. There is no economy that can develop without a cheap reliable source of energy. Power is directly linked with the economy, the energy is used to run manufacturing plants and the end product contributes in economy development.Power used to run business and for domestic use also contributes to the economy. Geothermal plants have been set up and hydro power projects set upJob creation During dam construction employment is created and there after this all translates to money earned and this drives the economyInfrastructures developmentTo transport materials and to harbor the workers infrastructure is set up , with the movement of goods and services the economy is set up running Health centers and schools are also set upFishing and wild life conservation New economic activities are created and the change in feeding habits in surrounding communitiesSocial economic impacts Reduction of grazing and fishing opportunities as a result of the project. The livestock pressure on the remaining lands will increase considerably, because the ousted traditional pastoralist tribes will have to see to their subsistence and existence elsewhere. It is feared that overgrazing will the increase, followed by serious erosion and the loss of natural resources and thus reduction in economic activities for families living downstream