| dc.description.abstract | Invariably degrading land attributed to lithospheric exploitations is a major environmental
problem causing significant loss of the potency of land in Nyakach Sub County.
Lithospheric extractions continuously indiscriminately draw aggregates from the land altering the shape and the inherent resources of the resultant land. It was important to identify and map both the drivers and indicators of land degradation so as to prescribe a sustainable solution to the menace. The
study employed mixed method convergent design concurrently using Cross sectional study design with field based observations and quasi experimental design. Employing sediment budget analysis established how sand harvesting, quarrying and brick making had overexploited sediments creating imbalance in sediment input and output. Using Sloven’s formula n = N / (1 +Ne2) with a confidence level of 95% giving a 0.05 margin of error, this gave a sample size of 398 respondents at 75% rate of return the study worked with a sample of 298 respondents, where N is
150,915(current population of the area). Lithospheric extractions were deemed responsible for 55% of land degradation directly due to excavations and indirectly by aggravating erosion. Sand budget analysis revealed that stream sand harvesting was responsible for channel degradation and gully incisions at o.8 ft per season or slightly less for most channels. Considering reference state and sand budget analysis, the study recommended the use of physical structures for severely degraded land. The study, anchored on the theory of social cost, recommended participatory
approach for sustainable exploitations of lithospheric resources alongside licensing preceded by environmental impact assessment to combat incessant land degradation was deemed practicable. Questionnaires, observation and interviews were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. With Pearson’s Moment Correlation Coefficient analysis, the resultant r value of 0.95 and a coefficient r2 value of 0.90 revealed a significant stronger positive relationship between lithospheric extractions and invariably degrading land. | en_US |