Land Use/Cover Trends-Climate Variability Nexus in the Njoro River Catchment

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities have consequences on the land use/cover trends in the watershed and subsequently on the hydrological characteristics of rivers through intertwine of climate variability. The interplay between land use changes and climate variability are seen as contributory causes of catchment degradation in Kenya. The land use/cover changes increase impervious ground surfaces, decrease infiltration rate and increase runoff rate thereby affecting the hydrological characteristics of rivers. This study considers the interactions between climate variability and land use/cover changes in the river Njoro catchment in Kenya. The River Njoro drains into the lake Nakuru basin one of the Great Rift Valley Lakes in Kenya. The objectives of the study were: To evaluate the land-use and land cover patterns and changes in Njoro River catchment between 1996 and 2016, analyze the temperature and rainfall variations between 1996 and 2016 and compare the land use/cover changes with the variation in the rainfall and temperature. Landsat images and secondary data on water quality parameters were used in this study. The study showed that there was significant variation in rainfall and temperature trends in the Njoro river catchment and therefore the dynamics of land use/land cover in the river Njoro would be more attributed to anthropogenic activities than climate variability

Authors and Affiliations

George Ontumbi

Keywords

Related Articles

ROLE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCE TOWARDS FOOD CHOICES AMONG HOUSEHOLD IN KIAMBAA SUB COUNTY, KENYA

This study focused on factors influencing households’ behavior and attitudes towards food choices in Kiambaa sub-county, Kiambu County. Therefore, this study explored socio-cultural factors on household food choices. Str...

Effect of Stakeholder Analysis on Performance of Road Construction Projects in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

Stakeholder analysis is component in a project design and implementation central to achievement of the goals and objectives for which projects are carried out. This study aimed at establishing the effect of stakeholder a...

Investigating School Effectiveness and Improvement: Effect of Teacher Improvement Programmes on Students’ Examination Scores.

The paper sought to determine the effect of teacher improvement programmes on students’ examination. This study adopted a mixed method approach. Purposive sampling was used to identify the four schools under study and f...

Teachers’ Perception towards the Use of Instructional Drama in ECDE in Elgeyo Marakwet County

The use of drama as a tool for teaching is not new. However, the ways in which drama is used today may differ in a number of respects from the ways it has been used in the past. This study was designed to investigate the...

Mother Tongue Usage and Classroom Instruction. Does influence of teachers Attitude Matter? Evidence from Kenya

Mother tongue/first language-based education system with adequate teachers and learning resource materials. The policy of language in Kenya emphasizes on the importance of first language; teachers overlook everyday reali...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP664561
  • DOI -
  • Views 38
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

George Ontumbi (2019). Land Use/Cover Trends-Climate Variability Nexus in the Njoro River Catchment. International Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 2(2), 13-24. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-664561