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Abstract
Stone quarrying has been recognized as a socioeconomic activity serving as a fundamental source of livelihood for some communities. Nonetheless, most operations are often accompanied by adverse effects on the same communities and the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the level of awareness of environmental rules, regulations, and principles governing stone quarrying in Tuluongoi sublocation, Tenges Division, Baringo County. The study also sought to establish whether there is a linkage between awareness of environmental rules, principles, and regulations governing stone quarrying and the impacts on the environment. Two villages were chosen for the study. The stratified sampling procedure was used to pick 120 households from the two villages, the total number (97) of regular quarry workers was enumerated, and purposive sampling was used to select six key informants. The quarry workers and household heads were the primary units for data collection. Primary data were collected by using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, observations, and pictorials. Secondary data were obtained from census reports, peer-reviewed journals, county strategic plans, unpublished theses, and scholarly books. Some data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages, while the SPSS software was used to generate tables, graphs, and frequencies. The chi-square procedure was used to test whether the awareness of environmental rules and regulations on stone quarrying were significantly independent of environmental degradation at the 0.05 significance level. The study established that 55.1% of quarry workers and 65% of household heads were unaware of any environmental rules, regulations, and principles governing stone quarrying. Out of those aware, 88.9% of household heads and 67.7% of quarry workers had poor awareness of environmental regulations and requirements. The study recommends that National Environment Management Authority promotes and enforces environmental rules, regulations, policies, and principles governing stone quarrying in collaboration with the relevant county government departments by enhancing awareness among the residents.
Highlights
Stone quarrying has played a significant role in boosting local economies globally for several years (Natural Environment Research Council, 2017)
The findings implied that a significant proportion of the respondents were unaware of any environmental rules and regulations guiding stone quarrying, consistent with the observations made by Lad and Samant (2014) that many quarry workers and locals in most cases have no clue of the permissible quarrying standards as well as the rules and regulations governing the quarrying operations
Stone quarrying operations in Tuluongoi Sublocation were carried out without compliance or adherence to the laid down laws and regulations
Summary
Stone quarrying has played a significant role in boosting local economies globally for several years (Natural Environment Research Council, 2017). The continued global population growth has propelled an increase in stone quarrying to fulfil the building and construction needs of the population (Lad and Samant, 2014). Several stone quarries have emerged, posing a threat to human and environmental health (Kumar et al, 2014). Stone quarrying in Kenya has been taking place for decades. The frequency of stone quarrying has significantly gone up recently due to the increasing population that prompted a high demand for housing, especially in the urban areas The high demand for building stones in Kenya and Tanzania is the reason illegal stone quarrying sites have been established in some unregulated areas (Wells and Wall, 2001). A 2020 audit report on land conservation and restoration of quarries in Kenya revealed that unregulated quarrying activities adversely affect the environment (Auditor General, 2020)
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