National Environmental Complaints Committee (NECC) on 30th January participated in a cleanup exercise at Sabaki Estuary, Kilifi County as a buildup exercise towards the #WorldWetlandsDay to be held on 2nd February 2021.The exercise was led by NEMA Chairman John Konchellah.#WetlandsAndWater is the theme for WWD 2021.
The theme shines focus on wetlands as a source of freshwater and inspires measures to restore them and stop their loss.Each year, Kenya celebrates World Wetlands Day to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. The convention came in force in Kenya in 1990. The country has been celebrating the event annually on 2nd February. The convention aims at promotion of conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
SABAKI RIVER ESTUARY
The Sabaki River Estuary is located on the Northern coast of Kenya, 5 km north of Malindi, discharging into the Indian Ocean. It marks the point where Kenya’s second largest River Athi-Galana-Sabaki River empty into the Ocean. The largest River in Kenya is the Tana River.
Sabaki River Estuary covers an area of about 6 square km’s. It consists of sandbanks, mud banks, dunes and seasonal and permanent freshwater pools, mangroves and scrub. It’s one of the Important Bird Areas in Kenya and also an important nesting, roosting and feeding ground for gulls and terns.
The Estuary is rich in fishes and crustaceans which have in turn supported fishing which is the main livelihood for the area residents. Some of the species which have recorded sufficient numbers in Sabaki River Estuary include; pelicans, cormorants, herons, flamingoes, ducks, geese, waders, gulls, terns and kingfishers.#WetlandsForBetterHealth
