Abstract

In recent times, rapid changes in buildings and infrastructural development have increased demand for construction materials. Ndarugu quarries located about 35 km north of Nairobi CBD are among the main sources of building materials in Kenya. The visible evidence of stone mining are the post-quarried sites scarred along the Ndarugu ridge, which has altered the original land condition and continues to affect people who live in surrounding areas. The objectives of the current study were (i) to assess the perception of stone quarry landowners on economic and social impacts of stone quarrying and (ii) to assess status of post-quarry land and factors influencing rehabilitation efforts. Data was collected through interviews guided by questionnaire undertaken along a transect parallel to river Ndarugu ridge where quarrying is concentrated, by sampling alternate homestead and company head. The data collected were analysed using frequencies and association between variables. From the analysis, majority of the respondents (47.1%) were small-scale farmers while 78.8% earned less than KSh. 30,000 (300 USD) per month. Quarrying was in progress in many of quarry sites, while the oldest was quarried 28 years ago. Creation of employment opportunities and opening up of the interior areas for business development were perceived as the main positive impacts of quarrying while influx of new migrants and dust pollution were perceived as the main negative impacts of stone-quarrying. Backfilling with local soil was main environmental repair method identified although a large percentage of the quarried land (95.2%) had not been repaired fully. Crop farming and trees planting were the most preferred post quarry land use. Lack of financial support services and lack of a compulsive legal framework were perceived as main limitations to environmental repair. Matching the quarrying activities with effective landscape management strategies to reduce negative impacts is recommended.

Key words: Land owners, stone quarrying, quarrying impact, rehabilitation method, post quarry land use.