Abstract
Land use practices need to be regulated and managed else they cause harm the rivers. Land use practices have impacts on both the availability and quality of water resources. (Baker and Miller, 2013) used the SWAT model in an assessment of land use impact on water resources in an East African watershed. Rivers play a vital role in supporting these land uses; therefore, there’s a connection between the two. Unmanaged land uses cause water stress and scarcity due to the decrease in infiltration and increasing in runoff which cause low flow during dry seasons. They ensure there’s water in all areas of the earth and drain nearly 75% of the earth’s land surface. They play important roles including, habitat for animals and plants, transportation , irrigation, source of energy ,source of food and water for drinking. Therefore they sustain lives on earth. Freshwater is important for human survival, social economic development, healthy ecosystem and sustainable development. Without water, there’s no life. The United Nations Water Conference 1977, the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade 1981-1990, the International Conference on Water and the Environment 1992 and the Earth Summit 1992 focused on this vital source which also led to the establishment of World Water Day on 22 March 2005. They helped some 1.3 billion people in developing countries gain access to safe drinking water. (UN Water, 2017). It is an irreplaceable resource and therefore the need for its sustainable management. According to UN-Water, today, more than 1.7 billion people live where water depletion has occurred as use has exceeded natural recharge. By 2025, two-thirds of the population will be living in water-stressed countries. This has led to the need for rivers restoration so as to solve this issue and for sustainable development. The study examined effects of land use changes on Thanantu River and was based in Tharaka North Sub County, TharakaNithi County. Thanantu River is a permanent river in Tharaka North Sub County and the community highly depend on it for water services. Land uses have caused change in Thanantu River’s regime in Tharaka North Sub County. This has led to water shortage within the Sub County as a result of water abstraction for irrigation. The study under-saw the effects of land use changes on Thanantu River in Tharaka North Sub County. It intended to achieve a number of objectives; establishment of land use trends in the last 15 years in Tharaka North Sub County, establishment of effects of land use changes on Thanantu River, determine strategies and effort in place for Thanantu River restoration and alternatives in place due to its fluctuation and come up with mechanisms of restoring Thanantu River. Research designs used were; correlation and descriptive. Data was collected through questionnaire administration, interviews and secondary data on the River and land uses. The findings indicate a spatial change in land uses with forest being the highest in the last 15 years and currently agriculture being the highest. They also show that there has been change in Thanantu River over the last years. Whereby, these changes have resulted from increased unsustainable, unmanaged and uncontrolled farming practices. These effects include; Loss of flora and fauna (vegetation and aquatic species), Water pollution affecting the quality of the water, reduction in water quantity to extent of drying up and Shrinking of its channel.
