appraisal drilling of geothermal wells in olkaria domes - Orkustofnun

Report 13 281 Ogolatotal area under irrigation in 2001 wasabout 1560 ha. on the Moi South Lakeroad, but has since increased tremendouslyto over 2000 ha. with a rapid increase ingreenhouses according to most studies andLNRA. According to Sayeed (2001) usingsatellite image of the area, the total areaunder irrigation in the whole division isestimated to be about 5000 ha. and couldbe more due to increasing expansion inagriculture. Precise information on thiscould not be obtained from the Ministry ofWater bailiffs who issues the waterabstraction permits to the farmers basedon farm size. The area under irrigatedagriculture could have increased to morethan the 5000 ha. by 2004. This industryhas been attracted by the availability ofabundant fresh water from Lake Naivasha, big tracks of land (which can be leased), favourableclimatic conditions, labour and proximity to Nairobi.Small scale farming of food crops like maize, beans and potatoes grown in farms ranging from 0.5-5ha. is also practiced on the upper catchments. However, this kind of farming is minimal along the MoiSouth Lake road and practically non existent within the Olkaria Domes site. In the early 1920sthough, sisal plantation of about 20,000 acres was planted by MacCrae (on Kedong ranch), which waslater abandoned and the land turned into a ranch after several trials and failures.Livestock productionThis is another major source of income and also a key sector in the region. Currently, an area of about19.2 km 2 of land is under livestock production (Naivasha Municipal Council, 2000). These includedairy/beef cattle, goats, sheep and associated products like skin, hides, meat and milk. Current data onlivestock production and population could not be obtained during the study. Therefore, estimates fromlivestock numbers based on averages obtained from 1994 to 1998 were used to estimate the averagepopulation. The estimation indicates that there are approximately 57,580 cattle, 20,000 sheep and5,166 goats in the division. Data on dairy and beef production for the South Lake area and thedivision as a whole could not be obtained. It’s all scattered on different farms and also classified.Wildlife species like ostrich, giraffes and zebras are also raised for game meat.On the South Lake area and around the Domes, ranching is practiced on the Kedong, Longonot,Kongoni, Ngati ranches and a few flower growers keep both livestock and wildlife. The Kedongranch is one of the largest ranches in the area rearing animals purely for beef. The ranch has acted as abuffer zone, protecting the park and also accommodating wildlife. The ranch was previously ownedby a British settler who later sold it to a group of local owners. The area also supports large herds ofMaasai livestock kept for subsistence and limited commercial use. Most of the Maasai herd is usuallyeither in transit to Suswa and Narok or raised on private ranches like Kedong and Ngati farms.3.3.6 FishingVolume ´000 (Tons)14012010080604020FIGURE 11: Export of agricultural products(CBS, 2002)Fish in Lake Naivasha is artificial having been introduced from different places. In 1962, someendemic species were spotted which disappeared due to predation pressure. The types of fish include:0• Two types of Tilapia - oreochromis leucostaictus and tilapia zllii. These were introduced in1956 from Lake Victoria by the Fishery Game Department.78.499 99.2 98.9121.11998 1999 2000 2001 2002Year