{"id":228414,"date":"2024-05-22T13:35:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewaterproject.org\/community\/?p=228414"},"modified":"2024-05-22T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:35:32","slug":"a-lesson-learned-eucalyptus-trees-and-water-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewaterproject.org\/community\/2024\/05\/22\/a-lesson-learned-eucalyptus-trees-and-water-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lesson Learned: Eucalyptus Trees and Water Sources"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where It All Started<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Western Kenya was once covered with indigenous trees thanks to the only tropical rainforest in Kenya: Kakamega Forest. But alongside the country\u2019s rapid population growth<\/a>, wood has become scarce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood is still widely used in Kenya, both for infrastructure and construction as well as daily home use through cooking (only 65%<\/a> of homes in rural areas have access to electricity). As such, the area is now experiencing an increased demand for wood and Kakamega Forest is shrinking<\/a>. Because indigenous tree species take such a long time to mature, Kenya\u2019s people have sought out faster-growing alternatives \u2014 like eucalyptus trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in our Western Kenya work area, there is no shortage of controversy over this non-native species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, our teams noticed a problem with our protected springs<\/a> in Western Kenya. The water levels were falling, and it was taking longer and longer to fill up containers placed beneath the springs\u2019 spouts. After that, it didn\u2019t take long to identify the cause of this problem: all the springs with drying issues were flanked by groves of eucalyptus.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Eucalyptus trees behind one of our protected spring water sources.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fast-growing eucalyptus trees were a seemingly perfect solution to bridge the scarcity gap for wood. But despite the speed advantage, their impact on ecosystems outweighs the positives. These trees consume between 40 liters<\/a> to 90 liters<\/a> of water daily \u2014 a massive amount of water considering how many trees are planted at one time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this water-guzzling has stolen water from natural springs in their surrounding areas. The problem is worst in the Hamisi sub-county due to the widespread use of these trees. Their county abuts Kisumu City, where a lot of construction equates to a high demand for trees. The natives of Hamisi have resorted to planting eucalyptus trees to meet the ever-increasing demand for timber in Kisumu County \u2014 but they may not realize the negative effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eucalyptus trees dehydrate the soil and also cause hydrological imbalances in the ecosystem. For The Water Project, this means some of our protected springs have experienced reduced water yield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe only have two springs decommissioned due to the presence of eucalyptus trees,\u201d said Program Officer Sam Ngidiwe, who oversees operations in our Western Kenya service area. \u201cHowever, we have 24 springs now classified as seasonal springs due to low discharge, primarily affected by the presence of [the] eucalyptus trees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, through our initiative to spread safe, reliable water coverage across our service areas, each household and institution will have plenty of water sources to choose from, even if those seasonal springs Sam mentioned dry out for months at a time. And, to put things into perspective, only 0.5% of our water sources have been decommissioned throughout the entirety of The Water Project\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever we decommission a water point, we give the surrounding community the opportunity to construct another water point in their area. This is because our commitment is to people, not water points. If our water source is insufficient for a community\u2019s need, we work to make sure we increase water access another way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since we discovered the eucalyptus tree issue, we have taken strides to improve our future works and make them eucalyptus-proof. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in this process is to prevent the construction of water points on sites with an abundance of eucalyptus trees. We evaluate each potential construction site through a vetting survey, ruling out many potential hazards to future water points. Since we discovered eucalyptus trees\u2019 effects on water sources, we\u2019ve updated this survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam explained: \u201cThe Water Project has since improved the spring vetting survey to include questions on [the] spring\u2019s details and the surrounding environment, such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n