Sand harvesting is a threat to land meant for agriculture, the National Environmental Complaints Committee has said. NECC has investigated cases of unsustainable sand harvesting in Homa Bay, Makueni, West Pokot, Machakos, Trans Nzoia and other parts of Kenya. “Over the years, Kenyans have engaged in uncontrolled sand mining in riverbeds at a rate that outpaces natural replenishment. He said illegal sand harvesting has destroyed vegetation, reduced fertile land and farm productivity and exposed communities to food insecurity. The Act states that on-farm sand harvesting shall only be undertaken by open-cast harvesting method and no underground tunnelling or extraction of sand shall be undertaken.

Source: The Star October 21, 2020 19:01 UTC