A tale of two rivers: development, destruction, and despair in Ongata Rongai, Kenya

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research instituteen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Liverpoolen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Instituteen_US
cg.contributor.donorGlobal Challenges Research Funden_US
cg.contributor.donorUnited Kingdom Research and Innovationen_US
cg.contributor.donorBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, United Kingdomen_US
cg.contributor.donorWellcome Trusten_US
cg.coverage.countryKenyaen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KEen_US
cg.coverage.regionAfricaen_US
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africaen_US
cg.creator.identifierOlivia Howland: 0000-0003-4109-7833en_US
cg.howPublishedFormally Publisheden_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1164881en_US
cg.isijournalISI Journalen_US
cg.issn2296-2565en_US
cg.journalFrontiers in Public Healthen_US
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen_US
cg.subject.ilriANIMAL HEALTHen_US
cg.subject.ilriHUMAN HEALTHen_US
cg.subject.ilriONE HEALTHen_US
cg.subject.ilriWATERen_US
cg.subject.impactAreaEnvironmental health and biodiversityen_US
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food securityen_US
cg.subject.sdgSDG 3 - Good health and well-beingen_US
cg.subject.sdgSDG 6 - Clean water and sanitationen_US
cg.volume11en_US
dc.contributor.authorHowland, Oliviaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-09-05T07:56:14Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-09-05T07:56:14Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/131740en_US
dc.titleA tale of two rivers: development, destruction, and despair in Ongata Rongai, Kenyaen_US
dcterms.abstractIntroduction: Ongata Rongai is a rapidly growing peri-urban space in Nairobi Metropolitan, Kenya. The last 10 years have seen exponential population growth and building development leading to overcrowding and pressure on water and environmental resources. This original research sheds light on interactions among humans, animals, and this rapidly changing urban environment. It is therefore a quintessentially One Health study. Methods: Qualitative and ethnographically informed methods are employed to better understand the impact of rapid growth on the riparian environment and the effect of this on those who depend on it. The reflexive use of archival material and a historical ethnographic approach enabled in-depth narratives to address these issues within a longitudinal context, and the use of deliberate walking alongside visual methodologies and more traditional anthropological methods make this study novel both in terms of methodological approach and findings. Results: This study finds that people cite high levels of pollution from solid waste and sewage have made the rivers almost unusable and a hazardous place for both humans and animals. Yet, in the past, these rivers played key roles in daily life. There is frustration with structural-level actors' moribund attitude to the environment. The poor health of the rivers and riparian environment leads to human and animal health challenges, increased pressure on water resources, and economic pressure due to a loss of livelihoods. Discussion: The study contributes to what is currently a fairly small literature on urban riparian spaces globally, but one which is of growing and vital importance given the rapidly increasing percentage of humans who now reside in urban spaces. It contributes to WASH and urban clean water knowledge as well as One Health, public health, and urban growth narratives, and directly addresses challenges faced by SDG 6.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Accessen_US
dcterms.audienceAcademicsen_US
dcterms.audienceScientistsen_US
dcterms.available2023-08-25en_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationHowland, O. 2023. A tale of two rivers: development, destruction, and despair in Ongata Rongai, Kenya. Frontiers in Public Health 11: 1164881.en_US
dcterms.extent1164881en_US
dcterms.issued2023-08-25en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0en_US
dcterms.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dcterms.subjectone health approachen_US
dcterms.subjectanimal healthen_US
dcterms.subjecthealthen_US
dcterms.subjectwateren_US
dcterms.subjecthygieneen_US
dcterms.subjecturbanizationen_US
dcterms.typeJournal Articleen_US

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