Residents of Isaku area in Vihiga Sub County have been urged to embrace environmental conservation to save Isaku Comprehensive School from collapsing.

Speaking during a public participation baraza held outside Isaku ADC church, Vihiga Sub County Deputy County Commissioner, Linet Orina called on residents to play their part in conserving the environment so that classrooms at the school do not collapse.

Orina said it is the responsibility of all residents to conserve the environment in a bid to save the school and other public infrastructure and utilities which should be handed down to the next generation.

She regretted that even though a well-wisher has come with soil and he wants to conserve the land and restore it so that learners can use it as a field and save the school’s classrooms from collapsing, some people were coming up with unnecessary propaganda saying the soil is contaminated and opposing environmental conservation.

The DCC called on residents to be alert especially during this heavy rain season and report any incident early so that action is taken on time and people’s lives are saved.

She called on landowners where sand is harvested to come up with plans of restoring and conserving the environment, warning that failure to take precautionary measures risks lives especially with the onset of the heavy rains.

An officer from Vihiga County Department of Environment, Arnold Ambeyi cautioned residents against opposing the environmental conservation plans saying all public utilities including the school, assistant chief’s office and the church should be protected for posterity.

Ambeyi called on all residents, especially those on the upper side to make terraces and direct some water to their farms so that they reduce the amount of water flowing down that ends up destroying the school and people’s homesteads.

He said the person conserving the environment will fill the pits with soil, levelize it and plant grass and trees and also put gabions so that the soil is not eroded posing a threat to neighbours of the school.

He called on residents to take heed of all the advice and instructions they are given by the government adding that by doing so they will not fall on the wrong side of the law.

David Shamola who represented the residents called on the government to ensure it puts quality culverts at designated points on the road so as to control water flow down the hill.

Shamola asked the government to ensure they survey the land so that there are proper demarcations and boundaries between public and private land.

After today’s public participation baraza and residents giving their views, they now agreed to allow the conservation to go on saying some people were opposing the project because there was no public participation initially.

Orina called on residents to take care of their children during this long holiday and festive season warning that failing in parental responsibility will result in many cases of teenage pregnancies and the children being infected with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV AIDS.

By Maureen Imbayi