Effects of Vegetation Destruction on the Socio-Economic Well-being of Households within the Soapstone Quarrying Areas of Gucha South Sub-County, Kenya

Soapstone quarrying and carving has taken place at the Tabaka region of Gucha South Sub-County for many decades. The activities associated with soapstone quarrying include clearing of vegetation, removal of top soil, earth moving, excavation of the stones and chopping off the unwanted parts of the soapstone. These activities have caused serious environmental impacts in the quarrying areas. This study focused on the effects of vegetation destruction as a result of soapstone quarrying on the socio-economic well-being of households within the quarrying areas of Gucha South Sub-County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of vegetation destruction (loss of cover and biodiversity erosion) by quarrying on the socio-economic well-being of households within the quarry areas. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. Purposive sampling procedure was utilized where 102 households were purposively selected based on their nearness to the soapstone quarries. Data collection was done using a questionnaire, recording observations and taking photographs. Descriptive (Frequency distribution, percentages, means, median and mode) and Inferential (Regression, Chi-square and ANOVA) statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings of this study indicate that vegetation destruction as a result of soapstone quarrying activities has negative effects on the socio-economic wellbeing of the households found within the soapstone quarrying areas. Thus, there is need to regulate the soapstone quarrying activities. There is also an urgent need for an Environmental Impact Assessment and audit to be carried out to determine the state of the environment in the soapstone quarrying areas.