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Kenya proposes measures to solve railway project's environmental concerns

Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenyan government has proposed the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) above the national parks to avoid potential human-wildlife conflict, Tourism Minister Najib Balala said here on Wednesday.

Speaking on the improvement of tourism facilities and the environmental impact of building the railway inside the national wildlife parks, Balala said the ministry of tourism had made a proposal to elevate the railway segments routed through the wildlife corridors as a solution.

The railway project, connecting the port city of Mombasa to Nairobi, is estimated to be completed in June 2017 and will connect most tourism hotspots across the country.

Balala said the cabinet has consulted the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) on the possible impact the routing of the railway might have on the wildlife.

He said a proposal to have sections of the railway construct overpasses around the wildlife corridors was acceptable.

Environmentalists have threatened to hold protests against the routing of the railway along the wildlife parks, saying it risked scaring the wildlife away and disrupting the migratory patterns. Endit