Nairobi — Joseph Manyara crouches over loose rocks and digs his hands into a muddy sludge seeping with water. Soon, his hands are filled with water, which he empties into a bucket.

He repeats the procedure several times, surrounded by scores of impatient children also waiting to fill their buckets from Ngarenaro River on the base of Mount Kenya.

"There is little water left," says Manyara with a note of despair. The river, which was once roaring with water from the mountain, is now only a silent sludge limping downhill. At times, clean water seeps from the rocks, but it is never enough for residents of Kirua village in Central Imenti District.

Mr John Gitonga of Subuiga area in South Imenti District points at what used to be Maranya River.

"If more people came to draw water, we would fight. It is not enough for all of us," says Manyara. Residents say this is one of the many rivers flowing from Mount Kenya, that have dried up over the years.

Residents of Kirua, Mbari, Nari and Rurii areas now walk for kilometres in search of the commodity, which they buy for Sh3 per 20-litre jerrycan. The mountain is a source of several rivers that feed over two million people, including Nairobi residents. But the rivers are now drying up as glaciers recede.

Environmentalists attribute the death of glaciers to global warming, which refers to a rise in the planet's temperatures due to destruction of the environment. Following the death of the rivers, millions of people and scores of tree and animal species that depend on them are at risk. In 1997, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation declared Mount Kenya a world heritage site in recognition of its rich flora and fauna. But this, too, is threatened.

Now, conservationists and leaders are worried that the receding waters could be a major cause of conflict as communities compete over the scarce commodity. Residents living along Rugusu River in South Imenti are already involved in violent clashes over water and pasture.

"Those living downstream are angry that their colleagues uphill are using all the water. They have formed vigilantes and no one can draw water without their permission," says Mr Maitima Mukindia, the manager of Ewaso Nyiro North Water Resources Management Authority.

The authority is supposed to ensure people use the river properly. The river is now a deep valley that holds little water at the deepest points. Cutting across South and North Imenti and heading towards Isiolo, Ngarenaro is not a river any more but a deep trench in which one can walk for a kilometre before getting any water.

Residents only keep looking up to the unpredictable rain as the option to trekking for kilometres in search of the commodity. Recently, when the authority attempted to build a Sh25 million dam along the river, residents objected and vigilante groups issued death threats to the water officials.

Residents have been forced to buy water from barons, who take advantage of the situation. The drying river has disrupted life and killed the initial good prospects for farmers. In Subuiga area, John Gitonga, a subsistent farmer, was using water from Rugusu River for irrigation.

But he now has to sit by the road all day, making concrete for sale.

"Farming has lost value due to the unpredictable climate and inadequate irrigation water," says Gitonga.

Citing latest reports that famine would increase due to melting of snow on Mount Kenya, Gitonga says large-scale horticulture farmers upstream have exacerbated the situation by heavily contributing to the drying up of rivers.

He says Rugusu River started drying up five years ago when residents ventured into charcoal burning, thus plundering forests. "We are to blame for the change of weather, but we would still be getting some water downstream were it not for those plantations upstream," he says.

He says rivers that were once big have turned seasonal and only flow during rainy seasons. Many rivers also originate from the Aberdare Ranges and flow across Central Province to different parts of the country.

Changing weather patterns linked to climatic changes are threatening to exacerbate desertification, drought and food insecurity. As scientists voice concern over the high rate of ice thawing on the mountain, Kenyans have been urged to start fighting climatic changes.

A meteorologist from Central Province, Mr Francis Nguata, blames the current generation, saying it has embraced technology, forgetting the effect of chemicals on the atmosphere.

"Industries emit greenhouse gases, which damage the atmosphere. These gases, such as carbon dioxide, form a blanket in the atmosphere, thus preventing heat from escaping from the earth," says Nguata.

As a result, temperatures around the world are rising, causing major climatic disasters including famine, drought, typhoons and cyclones. "The indigenous forest surrounding Mt Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges was once rich in plantation but a huge chunk has been destroyed," says Nguata.

The expert says destruction of trees and vegetation leads to decreased rainfall, which in turn, causes drought.

Tana River, which is a recipient of water from the melting ice, is reported to be experiencing decreasing volumes.

In Imenti, Mukindia says he is working with the affected communities to sensitise them on how to share the water. "We are educating them and have embarked on massive tree-planting and harvesting runoffs for use when the rains subside," he says.

Mukindia says economic activities in the Mt Kenya region have been adversely affected, yet the area has the richest soil and conducive weather for agriculture and livestock rearing.

Mutara River in Nyandarua District is also one of the major rivers drying up. The water levels can longer sustain the needs of the residents, who fear that the river will eventually run dry.

The river flows from the Aberdare Ranges and cuts through the semi-arid areas of Nyandarua.

Scientific theory says global warming is melting glaciers all over the world and Mt Kenya is one of the areas affected. The mountain initially had18 glaciers, but seven of them have now melted away. Therefore, rivers that were recipients of the water from the melting ice are drying up.