Author Erick Saddam Categories Environment, Holidays Posted on 0 Comments

World Wetlands Day 2025

In the world today we have a lot of purified water being sold packaged by different companies. It is a good indicator that people are conscious of the water they consume. Most of this water is purified through the Reverse Osmosis process by a Reverse Osmosis Plant. Simply, a reverse osmosis (RO) plant works by applying high pressure to contaminated water, forcing it through a semipermeable membrane that allows only pure water molecules to pass through, leaving behind dissolved impurities like salts and minerals.

The purified water is then collected as clean drinking water while the concentrated waste is typically discarded. It’s fascinating that nature also has such a system in place that it is actually more advanced.
As surface water flows over land it carries with it pollutants. These pollutants usually depend on the land use and land cover the water passes through and may include soil particles, fertilisers, pesticides, grease and oil from machinery among others. When these waters flow through wetlands the pollutants are removed by sediment trapping, nutrient removal and chemical processes.

As water flows through a wetland, its velocity slows down, allowing suspended sediments and particles to settle out and accumulate on the Wetland floor. On nutrient removal, some wetland plants such as reeds have the ability to absorb nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus through their roots and leaves. Microorganisms present in wetland soils mostly bacteria decompose organic pollutants including pesticides from agricultural lands and heavy metals into fewer substances. Some bacteria convert nitrate in the wetland soils into gaseous nitrogen, which is released into the atmosphere, thus reducing nitrogen levels in the water.

Wetland soils can also bind certain pollutants, like heavy metals, through adsorption processes, preventing them from leaching into the surrounding environment. It’s paramount that we protect mangroves, marshes, swamps, deltas and other wetlands to enjoy the immense benefits they have to offer for the well-being of all.

Happy Wetlands Day!

Article by Rael Nelly

Author Erick Saddam Categories Food Security Posted on 0 Comments

Food Security & Nutrition

Food Security & Nutrition

More than 51% of Kenyans are suffering from food insecurity.(National council for population and development (NCPD)
This is contributed greatly to by the reduced rainfall levels and climate change.
However, the National Council for Population and Development in Kenya has attributed population growth as a key contributor to the rising food insecurity. This increased population has led to mass movement from rural to urban areas in search of white-collar jobs.
This has led to increased demand for settlement areas that have led people to settle in sensitive areas such as wetlands and riparian areas, especially in city slums.
Demand for land has also led to the conversion of agricultural lands into building areas. This is so rampant in Kiambu, Murang’a, Kajiado and Machakos.
Pastoralists and other communities that live in marginalized areas suffer the most because their economic activities are dependent on the conditions such as weather for example cattle rearing.
In order to break the chain of food insecurity sustainably, agroecology and environmental education have to be introduced at all levels of education.
Behaviour change towards the environment should be the ultimate goal if the war on food insecurity is to be won.
Every citizen should strive to grow their own food or part of it because with the economic inflation being experienced all over the globe, it is no longer sustainable to buy enough food.
Vertical gardening in urban and water-scarce areas would go a long way to provide part of the household food requirements, especially vegetables.


Regulations especially on waste management especially the biodegradable waste that can be composted to enrich the soil should be put in place and followed to the later.
Banning of converting huge areas of agricultural land into building areas should be implemented to avoid losing the little available fertile land.

Article Written by Julia Wahome

Author Erick Saddam Categories Environment, Holidays Posted on 0 Comments

World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day 2024 Theme: Toilets, A Place for Peace

Until the spirit of sustainable ecosystems and livelihoods, this year’s World Sanitation Day should be viewed as a day to evaluate where we are at as a society in putting sanitation in the circular economy.

This can be done by ticking the achievement boxes and crossing the ones not met on the entire sanitation chain.

The evaluation will start by checking the provision or availability of toilets that are dignified and serves the purpose of providing “a place for peace “ .

Secondly to tick or cross whether the system used is able to collect the waste effectively which will there after be treated for ease and safety of handling during the transformation to renewable energy, organic fertilizer and clean water.

In a situation where dignified toilets, Waste collection system, Waste treatment and waste transformation boxes are all ticked then good health will be achieved,food security enhanced and jobs created.

However, despite the UN including the Open defecation free (ODF) as a goal in the sustainable development goals (goal 6) ,It is yet to be achieved especially in developing countries due to people reverting back to open defecation despite getting the certificate due to collapsing toilets .

Although there has been a decline in the open defecating households in the world from 1.3 billion to 419 million between 2000 and 2022,(journal of health, population and nutrition 43 ) there is still high open defecation in the sub Saharan Africa, Kenya included.

Article Written by Julia Wahome

Author Erick Saddam Categories Capacity Building Posted on 0 Comments

The dwindling resource, indigenous traditional knowledge

Traditional ecological insights, wisdom, and knowledge are passed down through generations. This is very important, especially in environmental conservation and sustainable development.

However, with increased use of technology most people especially the young ones may see this knowledge as backward and useless but it is the one that guided the way of life before technology and climate change.

Unfortunately with age the bearers of this knowledge are getting old and frail and their memory is failing them and eventually at the end of their time they exit the stage without leaving a backup. It is a great loss.

One such resource bearer is Mama Salome who lives adjacent to the Arabuko Sokoke forest which is a UN  biodiversity Hotspot. The forest has not been spared the effects of climate change exposing the animals that are endemic to the forest in danger of extinction and the rich floral diversity to be a thing of the past only to be seen in books.

Mama Salome and other wisdom bearers play their hummingbird role by growing the species they need for herbal remedies at their farms creating a source of seeds in case the species in the wild disappears and also relieves the natural forest of the pressure of extraction which can be detrimental to the ecosystem when it is done without caution.

She also attends forums where environmental matters are being discussed and explains the need to domesticate the trees.  She also shares her knowledge of herbal medicine and the common remedies for example the ones that were used by men to gain energy (coconut and raw cassava)

People of all ages are encouraged to stay close to such people and absorb the knowledge. The only way to ensure the baton keeps moving in the fight against climate change race.

Article written by Julia Wahome

Author Erick Saddam Categories Food Security Posted on 0 Comments

Food security.

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. It has four main dimensions:

  1. Availability – sufficient quantities of food available consistently
  2. Access – having resources to obtain appropriate foods
  3. Utilization – proper use of food, including proper food preparation and nutrition knowledge
  4. Stability – consistent access to food over time

Food security is primarily addressed in SDG 2: “Zero Hunger.” This goal aims to “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030. The specific targets include:

  1. Ensuring access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food year-round for all people
  2. Ending all forms of malnutrition
  3. Doubling agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
  4. Ensuring sustainable food production systems
  5. Maintaining genetic diversity of seeds, plants, and animals
  6. Increasing investment in rural infrastructure and agricultural research
  7. Preventing agricultural trade restrictions and market distortions

Kenya ranks 100th out of 127 countries in terms of food security or lack thereof ( 2024 Global Hunger Index). 51% of the population is faced with food poverty.

Food poverty is a large part of the population, and the situation can only worsen with increasing climate change.

However, practicing climate-smart agriculture which advocates for crop rotation, minimum tillage and mulching may assist in increasing the productivity of the land, a great step towards being food secure.

The use of crop biomass to make manure enriches the soil by plowing back the carbon trapped in them in the soil .. This enriches the soil as well as reduces the carbon emissions that would have happened in cases of open burning of crop remains.

Article by Julia Wahome

1 2 3 4 5
Copyright © 2026 | Ovilgroup | All rights reserved.