UN REPORT OUTLINES ALARMING DROP INLAKE VICTORIA WATER LEVELS

Environmental Report by Leo Odera Omolo.

LAKE Victoria is among African water bodies drying up due to environmental degradation and climate changes, a new survey has revealed.

According to a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the loss of trees and wetlands, which forms the Lake Victoria water catchment, was partly affected by human activities and 13 per cent is severely degraded” says the report.

The study notes that Lake Victoria water levels started dropping considerably in the year 2002.

As a result, the shorelines retreated by more than 100 metres and there has been no improvement six years later.

Rapid population growth, leading to over exploitation of resources, poses a major threats to Africa’s lakes and most of them fresh water reservoirs, the report points out.

It adds that in recent decades, the rate of population growth, estimated at seven per cent within 100 kilometers around the Lake Victoria catchment area, had out paced the continental average, reflecting growing dependence and pressure on lake’s resources.

“ Population growth around the continent’s largest lake is significantly higher than the rest of Africa” notes the report, adding that lakes are sources of livelihoods for many people.

If they are managed properly, the African continent’s lakes face loss of sustainability for future generations, warns the report.

Another body that the report cites as endangered is Lake Chad, which it said has shrunk by 95 per cent in the last 35 years due to climatic effects and human activities.

On the way forward, the report recommends a joint effort in managing the lakes by countries and called for better monitoring of human activities.

According to Tema Daily online, Kenya Medical Research Institute ( KEMRI) that has monitored the lake says there is a growing health hazard posed by both human waste and other pollutants. 100 per cent of the car washers are schistosomiasis infected, says Kemri’s expert.

According to UN Environment programme in the 2006 study of East Africa’s lakes, untreated sewerage flows into the lake daily from towns around it.

The lake and 30 million people who depends on it in East Africa face a bleak future as pollutants cause a number of deadly diseases.

Schiotomiasis, bilharzias, cholera, pneumonia and diarrhea are among the diseases that affect residents around te lake with increasing frequency, health officials in Kisumu city says.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

FOUR KENYAN MPS HAVE URGED THE STATE TO DECLARE FAMINE A NATIONAL DISASTER WHILE THE GOVERNEMNT IS TO IMPORT FIVE MILLION BAGS OF MAIZE AS EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF.

Business Reports by Leo Odera Omolo

While four MPs from Eastern Province have urged the government to declare the on-going ravaging famine a national disaster, the government has assured Kenyans that it will import five million bags of maize to avert the looming acute maize shortage.

The four MPs said the state should also seek intervention against food shortage in Ukambani and in other semi arid areas.

Early this week, the cabinet’s Food Security sub committee met at the office of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga where the announcements about the food shortage was made.

Kenya has oly a paltry 1.2 million bags of maize in its stocks, which can oly meet national demand for the next four weeks it emerged.

With an average monthly consumption of 2.9 million bags of the staple cereal, Kenya takes its worst famine since 1986.

The cabinet sub committee meting also sought to come up with a long term solution to boost food security.

Speaking on behalf of his four colleagues, the Kibwezi MP, Phillip Kiloki said “ unless the government acts fast to provide food, we will begin experiencing hunger-related deaths”.

The MP disclosed that his own constituency had experienced total crop failure last season.

Hunger is felt all over and the situation is most worrying, Prof Kaloki while asking the government to launch an international aid appeal to help the needy.

The four MPs said more than 500,000 people who depended on subsistence farming in Ukambani risked facing starvation.

Report emerging from maize producing regions of the country revealed that the xxxx food shortage is widespread.

For grain producing areas and regions like Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Trans Mara, Migori, Bomet, Bureti, North and South Nandi district had also experienced crop failure pushing the prices of the commodity sky rocketing and unaffordable.

In most parts of western Kenya the general public are correctly relying on food grains, particularly maize which is being smuggled by racketeers across the borders from Tanzania and Uganda, though the government had already clamped down restriction against such imports.

In some points of the Rift Valley, the crop failure is being attributed to the post election violence which engulfed Kenya in January – March this year, during which time many small scale farmers in areas like Nakuru, Molo and Uasin Gishu Districts were forced to flee from their farms leaving crops unattended in the fields.

Kenya ’s Minister for Agriculture William Ruto said National Cereals and Produce Board had been authorized by the government to import 2 million bags of maize, while private sector players will import the remaining.

Tendered companies will begin the importation next week as the government plans to xxxx a further two million from local farmers.

Said the Minister “ I have held several meetings with farmers as the week end and they agreed to sell maize at the price of Ksh. 1, 650 per bag of 40 kg. we have put in place measures to ensure there are no gaps in supply. This will bring down the price of maize also cushion the country against famine “ said Ruto.

The Minister said non-milling companies will also be given the tenders to import the duty-free maize, said the minister adding that the government will put a ceiling on the quantity to be imported by each party.

The government had previously announced that each bag of maize delivered by a farmer to the NCPB would fetch Ksh 1,700. but the farmer has turned down this offer claiming that the amount was too little compared with the highly initial cost of farm inputs such as fertilizers e.t.c.

At the same time private milling companies across the country were offering Ksh 2,200 per bag of 40 kg with spot cash payment on delivery.

Ruto said the duty free maize imports will be adequate to cushion against famine.

Meanwhile unconfirmed reports indicate several companies have already laced the tender among them at least 31 millers.

The government has banned maize exports with immediate effect. The move seeks to avail more of the product locally, said Ruto.

He said the government has discovered that some companies are exporting maize to the Sudan. The ban will stand until adequate flour is available in the country.

End

Leooderaomolo@ yahoo.com

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Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 02:56:08 -0800 [04:56:08 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
sbj; VICTORIA WATER LEVELS DROP, UN REPORT ; STATE TO URGED DECLARE NATIONAL DISASTER , FAMINE ;