Ondiri Swamp: Second Deepest Wetland in Africa is on the Verge of Extinction

The second deepest wetland in Africa and a critical source of water for Kenya’s populous capital is under the threat of extinction. Ondiri swamp is said to be the second largest wetland after another one that is situated in Douala Cameroon.

Human encroachment is one of the biggest threats to the existence of the wetland. Human activities such as greenhouse farming and planting eucalyptus trees close to the swamp is pulling a lot of water as argued by conservationists.

Environmental activisits claim that about a half of the papyrus ecosystem was destroyed by fire thus killing and destroying unique birds habitat.

The quaking bog’s ability to produce water is staring at a catastrophe. The swamp is the underground source of Kikuyu Springs and the headwater for Nyongera River which supplies water to Nairobi River. Therefore, the water that is used by most Nairobian’s has its original source from Ondiri.

Ondiri attracted a number of visitors, both locally and abroad, who came to experience the movement of the quaking bog. Quaking bog consists of a vegetation layer that forms a mat of about one meter that covers the water.

The Swamp that is near Kikuyu town in Kenya has no conspicuous outlet. However, most people living around the region believe that the swamp originated from underground waters from Aberdares. The swamp was once used by Alliance High School for power generation.

Comments

How Human Noise Kills Marine Species, as revealed by Scientists

Scientists have warned that the discord of noise made by humans is harming marine species . A comprehensive assessment revealed that large noise from human activities was as harmful as pollution, overfishing and climate change . The study that was conducted by the Journal Science exposed how marine animals can hear from far distances than they can see or smell. According to a report published in the Guardian, most of the marine life uses sound to catch prey as well as attracting a mating partner. Prof Carlos Duarte of King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia argued that: “Marine animal can only sea up to around 10 meters, smell up to around a hundred meters, but they can hear across the entire ocean basins.” The research concluded that sound “is very important in the marine ecosystems, and noise is pervasive, affecting animals at all levels .” The increasing cacophony in the marine habitat is interfering with how marine animals respond to various survival...

Carbon dioxide to Make Jet Fuel, Study Reveals

Photo Source: twitter.com Aircrafts release a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which contributes to climate change. A research that was conducted by Science News and reported on December, 22 2020 stated that there was a new iron-based catalyst that has been invented to convert carbon dioxide into jet fuel. It is only a matter of time that carbon dioxide pumped to the atmosphere by planes could be sucked and used to power the same. The air travel’s footprint in carbon emissions could be tremendously curtailed, if the carbon dioxide that is released is recycled to generate fuel. As per Science News reports, Air transport contributes to about 12 percent of the entire transportation carbon-related emissions. Unlike cars, aircrafts cannot carry bigger batteries which can be run on electricity generated from wind or solar panels. The current breakthrough in the conversion of carbon dioxide to fuel involves cheap ingredients such as iron and transformed through a single s...

Why World Tycoons Should Emulate Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, in the Battle against Climate Change

The silent biggest global pandemic is global warming. Global problem deserves global attention; and that is why world moguls and leaders should use their influence to initiate change that can positively impact the world. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has consistently advocated for environment conservation and has been a key personality in the battle against climate change . Gates keen focus has been to increasing access to clean electricity in remote parts of the world. As a key defender of the environment, he is quoted by the Guardian saying that: “The idea of adding new electricity capacity- you can’t just go build coal plants.” The Guardian reported that Gates likes using private jets because he can get affordable fuel for flight. He revealed that he has already footed the bill of carbon footprint to a group dubbed Climeworks , a firm that captures up direct air in Iceland. Gates pointed out that the future of vehicles travels lie with electric cars; but excluded the el...

Phode News Hub

Search This Blog