The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is calling upon community based organizations in Nakuru County to partner with them in conserving environment at grassroots level.
This was said on Tuesday by Nakuru County National Environmental Management Authority director, Simon Were, when he addressed members of Green Soldiers youth Group at Menengai Social Hall.
He said this during NEMA's annual community environmental programme report and plan meeting that was attended by local stakeholders.
Were observed that community based organizations can be the best watchdogs on environmental management matters and can adequately suit to partner with the authority by spearheading community based programmes aimed at conserving the environment.
According to Were, community based organizations like schools, churches, youth and women groups and Non Governmental Organizations are directly linked and affected by activities in the environment hence should take an active role as environmental watchdogs.
“Environmental issues like floods, air pollution, water pollution, wanton destruction of forests and trees in homes, soil erosion, waste disposal and unfriendly structures among others should be monitored by community based organizations,” said Were.
He noted that many environmental destructive activities in the country happen on grassroots levels and are hard to be detected by the authority.
He pledged the authorities willingness to support community based environmental protection programmes in the county and urged community based organizations to come up with proposals for funding by the authority.