Sustainable Catchment Management Dam Sedimentation and Hydropower

The long-term loss of ecological services and land productivity caused by deforestation is on increase in Kenya. Catchment deforestation is steadily and cumulatively affecting precipitation and increased rates of soil erosion. Masinga dam is the regulator of water flow of the dams' cascades at the seven forks dam project. At full capacity the dam covers about 6,255Km2 with 1,560 million m3 holding capacity. The dams have an installed capacity of 543.2 MW out of Kenya's installed hydropower capacity of 677.3 MW. The loss of the dam's water capacity is grievous; with the dam having lost about 215.26 M m3 of its capacity since its commissioning in 1981 to sedimentation. This is congruent with Masinga dam's catchment destruction where forest cover loss between 1976 and 2012 at an average rate of 528.7 hectares per year is threatening the lowland hydropower resources and other dependent ecosystems and livelihoods. Catchment precipitation is decreasing by about 3.93 mm annually. The annual river flow to Masinga dam is declining at the rate of - 0.736 cumecs while the average annual sediment load is increasing by about 0.063 M m3. Thus sound catchment management is inevitable.