Assessment of Socio-Economic Impacts of Stone Quarrying Activities in Narok Town Ward, Narok North Sub-County

Abstract

Quarrying is an excavation process involving abstracting materials, which are neither fuel nor minerals in nature from rocks. The ever-increasing development and construction in major urban centres worldwide have necessitated the need for quarries to provide materials for construction. This has led to detrimental environmental and social economic impacts which are usually ignored at the expense of economic pursuit by developers. The study focused on assessing the socioeconomic impacts of stone quarrying in Narok Town Ward, Narok North Sub-County, Kenya. The target population were quarry workers, the residents and government agency officials dealing with environmental management. The study employed a descriptive research design where both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used. Stratified sampling and random sampling techniques were used during the study. Questionnaires, interviews, observations and photography were used to collect data during the survey. Descriptive statistics, percentages, frequencies and correlation were used to analyze data in Microsoft software MS Excel and SPSS. Findings have been presented descriptively, quantitatively and qualitatively. Quarrying activities in Narok Town ward have played an important role in the economic development and infrastructural development, however it has brought about negative social issues such as a change in social fabrics, conflicts, displacement, and health-related issues. The correlation coefficient (r=0.705, P<0.001) show a positive correlation between the severity of dust and respiratory illnesses among the respondents. The respondents strongly agreed that quarrying activities have led to the creation of employment in the area. The study recommends that Stakeholders should put efforts into the mitigation of negative outcomes of quarrying activities that lead to the disruption of livelihoods. Community education and sensitization on environmental and socioeconomic impacts and safety measures should be done to minimize the negative impacts of quarrying activities in the Narok Town ward