Control of Plastics saves Nyayo Estate residents from blocked drainage as other parts of the city estate contend with flooded roads and broken sewers.
The onset of heavy rains in most developing cities around the world signal disaster. Telescopic weather in its alert this week is warning Tanzania, Kenyas neighbour of destruction of its infrastructure as the heavy rains that were experienced in Kenya in the past two weeks are now moving there. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FCxfEAytY/?mibextid=oFDknk
The past week has seen the upper middle class residents battle the rain as they drive through roads made impassable and in some areas through flooded streets. Kenyans on X were outraged blaming city authorities for poor planning.
The madness in Parklands when it rains can make you question which country you live in because Parklands is supposed to be one of the better neighbourhoods in Nairobi. Kenya deserves better.
Bryson Ometo on X
Heavy rains make road impassable amidst increased housing projects.
While news of destruction following rains has previously displaced those mostly in informal settlements, this flash floods has affected affluent neighbourhoods and suburbs of the city like those in Westlands, Langata and Parklands.
This is a sign of a serious underlying problem! The sewer systems will totally collapse with the increase in multi storey developments. These sewer lines are old and could cater for only a certain number of households and single dwelling homes.
Alfayaz 11 on X
But further to the East of Nairobi in Embakasi in a gated community the over 20,000 households, do not dread the rains anymore.
The estate’s residence through their association embraced a circulatory economy in 2020 and have managed to segregate 56,000 kilos of plastics at source and another 7,000 kilos of e-waste. Its chair Teddy Obiero says the elimination of plastics from the ecosystem has seen clean drainage and proper flow of water that was previously not the case.
Teddy Obiero who recently received an award on behalf of Nyayo estate as a model estate on circularity, advised the city governor to move with speed to have the model across city estates.
Let’s push for circular economy through segregation at source. The flooding can be reduced by 40% simply by ensuring no solid waste finds its way into water ways. We already have a working model in Nyayo Estate Embakasi, simply scale it up.
Teddy Obiero on X
He has led efforts to expand the concept to other gated communities through the Alliance of Nairobi Metropolitan Residents Association AMRA anmra.or.ke. Some section of houses in Lavington have also embraced the circulatory model in waste management and the plan is to expand to whole city.
This requires cooperation from the County Government which according to Obiero is slow in implementing the proposal forwarded it by AMRA.
The recently concluded 29th UN Conference of the Parties COP29 in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku focused on finance. The developed countries pledge to mobilise resources to assist developing countries in mitigation and adaptation, was revisited, with an agreement to set a new financial, but more realistic target.
The developed nations settled for $300 billion pledge to support low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient development pathways in developing nations. https://earth.org/did-cop29-succeed-or-fail/?mc_cid=62140bae91&mc_eid=f7f316c83a
Kenya hopes to benefit from these funds having updated its Nationally Determined Contribution which requires about $62billion to implement. It is relying on grants and external funding to implement climate action initiatives as outlined in its national climate change action plan https://emsi.co.ke/other-publications/national-climate-change-action-plan-nccap-iii-2023-2027/
Currently the circulatory model in this city estate can only manage segregation of plastics which are then recycled through collaborations with a local manufacturer. The management of organic waste remains a challenge as no partner has come on board to collaborate on this initiative which NERA says requires some funding. It is the hope of these residents that the renewed commitment by developing nations on financing climate will trickle down and help them reduce landfills which is a growing challenge.
CIRCULATORY MODEL IN CLIMATE CHANGE EXPLAINED
| COMPONENT | DESCRIPTION | CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT |
| Resource Efficiency | Reduces waste, promotes sustainability through maximising use of natural resources. | Reduces greenhouse gas emissions-lowers resource extraction and production energy demand. |
| Waste Reduction | Minimize waste at all stages of production and consumption through efficient practices and recycling initiatives. | Decreases methane emissions from landfills and promotes sustainable material cycles. |
| Recycling and Upcycling | Converting waste materials into products of equal or greater value to keep materials in the economy longer. | Cuts emissions by reducing the need for virgin material extraction and processing. |
| Renewable Energy | Powering circular systems with clean, renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels | Reduces reliance on carbon-intensive energy, directly addressing global warming. |
| Circular Business Models | Transitioning to models like product as a service, leasing or subscription, focusing on value retention and longevity. | Limits over production and promotes sustainable consumption, indirectly reducing emissions. |
| Consumer Awareness | Educating and involving consumers sustainable consumption and waste management practices. | Encourages demand for low carbon circular products, amplifying the impact of individual actions. |
| Systemic Collaboration | Engaging stakeholders across sectors to create interconnected, sustainable supply chains. | Enhances efficiency, reduces redundancy, and scales up climate positive initiatives globally. |
| Renewable Energy | Powering circular systems with clean, renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels | Reduces reliance on carbon intensive energy directly addressing global warming. |