A KOMB GREEN SOLUTION.

When Climate Change unpredictable weather patterns strike, will Komb Green solutions come to the rescue?

Source: Hannifa

Unpredictable rainfall patterns and long dry seasons are becoming prominent issues related to climate change. These further impacts not only the environment and human health, but also the general socio-economic well-being of the affected community.

The Nairobi River, which passes also through Korogocho, has however not been exempted from the impacts of climate change. Heavy rainfall causes it to break its banks and flood the adjacent land.

Komb Green, a CBO found in Korogocho, formed by reformed youth to help them refrain from criminal activities have taken up different initiatives among them being rehabilitation of Nairobi River. Adjacent to the river, there is rehabilitated land to People’s park. One cannot tell that in the past, the area was more or less a dumpsite. The CBO has cleaned the river time and time again, and created the People’s park where even children find it safe as a playground.

Before Rehabilitation. Source: Komb Green Twitter. 
(Right) After Rehabilitation. Source : Hannifa. 

     

In order to control flooding of the Nairobi River in Korogocho A, the CBO have built gabions as barriers and protective measure. A good initiative indeed, as the water (polluted) from the river into the area also puts the population at health risk. 

 

With the gabions in place, it would be expected that the area is not affected as such by the river's overflow. Yet, on the contrary talking to Robert, “The place still floods. The gabions help reduce the impact and extent, but they are too low and when there is heavy continuous rainfall, the path we are standing on, the People’s park gets flooded,” he informed.

The land reclaimed by Komb Green has been one of those affected by extreme weather effects. Heavy rains in 2021 caused the river to burst its banks and the water went over the gabions and the people’s park was almost washed away. 

With the climate change situation still being a current situation, the flooding is likely to reoccur. Another layer of the gabions needs to be added in order to prevent flooding in the event of heavy rains or flash floods. A small section has been raised, and whereas there is the will to do so extensively, the financial capacity is limited.

Komb Green is still taking different steps towards climate change adaptation, while also working towards ensuring they conserve the environment.

Walking through towards where waste had been dumped, I was let in into how the dumpsite came about. 

Initially the whole area had indiscriminate dumping, but the youth from Komb Green took it upon themselves to clean up Koch and have a specific place where waste could be dumped and further collected. Construction and fencing of the place was still underway when I paid the visit.  This was in order to prevent the waste going directly into the river. 

Komb Green have solutions. What are you doing towards Climate Action and Environmental conservation and management?