Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies: Home

Abstract:
It is true that the might of human activity continues to expand to the point that it is exerting a major effect on nearly all of the earth's systems. In the recent past, most of the complex environmental challenges have been addressed by using a watershed approach. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has played critical roles in all aspects of watershed management, from assessing watershed conditions through modelling impacts of human activities on water quality to visualizing impacts of alternative management scenarios. It is based on the foregoing backdrop that this paper elucidates the role GIS can play in Kerio Valley watershed management. The main aim of the study was to perform a suitability analysis of the watersheds of Keiyo District. The watersheds were delineated from the 3D data acquired by Shuttle Radar Topography Mission in 2001. These were treated as management planning units. It further incorporated the slope data to determine areas suitable for particular land uses. A Landsat TM data of 2006 was then analyzed for land use within each delineated watershed. Lastly, the slopes map was then overlaid with the land use map to determine areas that were being utilized wrongly thus posing environmental hazard. The result was a suitability map which was then overlaid with the watershed map and the resulting map indicates how each watershed is being environmentally managed. The results of the study clearly indicate that there is environmental mismanagement of the watersheds of Keiyo District. It is therefore recommended that some of the existing land uses be relocated. The suitability map produced together with the prevailing land uses can be used by general readers to develop a sustainable management plan for the District using the watersheds delineated as the basic management units. Scholars can also apply the same method to perform suitability analysis in other areas.

Keywords: watershed, 3D modelling, flow direction, flow accumulation, land use.

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