Reports Leo Odera Omolo
THE discharge of raw waste by manufacturing industries into Lake Victoria will soon kill it, experts have warned.
The Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute’s {Kemri} scientists said the quality of the Lake’s water has deteriorated because of pollution, which has caused the extinction of many species of indigenous of aqua inhabitants.
At the same time Marine transport in Lake Victoria has been hampered and paralyzed yet again due to re-emergence of the dreadful water hyacinth weeds,
The concerns comes barely a year after the Lake Victoria riparian states receive over USD 3.2 million {Kshs 266 million} for the cleaning up of the Lake under the second phase of the lake Victoria Environmental Management Program.
The project aims to reducing waste disposal from the lake by over 40 per cent. Kemri scientists have reported that there is little intervention on the control to the Lake, adding that it is a matter of time before it loses resilience to pollution.
A survey carried out in many hitherto popular fish landing beaches along the entire shorelines on the Kenya side of the Lake Victoria established that large vessels were now not able to dock safely at the various piers due to a thick carpet formed by the weed on the surface of the water.
Similarly, the boats were also unable to dock at the shoreline with most fishermen now shying from waterways for transport of goods.
Fishing is of course the mainstay of the economy of the communities living around the lake, employing a large number of youths and school leavers as well as those involve in fish trade.
The dreaded weeds has blocked the navigation not only of ships and steamers, but also the small home made fishing canoes and boats with outboard engines, which are in common use by the fishermen and fish traders.
Kemri’s Director William Ojwang’ was recent quoted as saying that the Lake is currently in a pathetic state and cannot support both Human ad aqua life with most of fish species under the threat of extinction as a result of pollution.
The popular fishing landing places like Dunga in the outskirt of Kisumu City, Karabondi and Kendu-Bay in Rachuoyo South,Kochia, Homa-Bay, Usawo, Malela, Luanda, Mbita, Utajo, Wanyama, Luanda ka-Olunga,Sihenga, Sindo, Nyamanga, Nyandiwa and other paces are blocked by water hyacinth.
The dreadful water hyacinth appeared to have covered the entire length of the shorelines on the Kenyan side of the Lake Victoria covering several administrative districts of Nyatike, Suba South, Suba North, Homa-Bay, Rachuonyo North, Nyakach, Nyando, Kisumu, Seme, Rarieda, Bondo Siaya and Busia.
Ferry operators led by Edward Odero have been wondering as to why the state had failed to contain the weed despite sufficient funds being set aside to manage it.
“We have repeated appealed to the government to find a quick way to eradicate the dangerous weed or else it will, scare away potential investors in the marine industry,” he added.
In the last one year, investment in Lake Victoria has witnessed tremendous growth with several local and foreign investors introduce big ships to accelerate shipment of large consignment.
Most traders prefer water transport, which is relatively much cheaper for delivery of goods with Tanzania and Uganda being the largest users of ships to transfer goods from Kisumu Port to Port Bell {Luzira} in Uganda and the Port of Mwanza and in the northwestern Tanzania.
Traders interviewed claimed it was taking more than three hours for the ships to dock. While ordinarily they are not supposed to take more than 30 minutes, now time has to be spared to clear the surface for the vessels to navigate their way to the shoreline. Kisumu Pier is virtually covered by hyacinth weeds.
On the other hand, fisheries experts say the numbers of fish stock have drastically reduced and very soon, the lake will just be a field of excursion without any benefit to those in the riparian as pollution forces its benefit out.” What we are calling tilapia is not the original tilapia species we know.
The original tilapia species is no longer found in the lake but in private ponds as a result of pollution fro the industries.
“We have suffered a great deal. We have had no camp here for more than day to allow the ship to dock and load our consignments. It is really frustrating, said one local trade Juma Ali in Kisumu.
The Kemri director urged authorities in the region to improve sanitation to contain diseases that afflict the more than 3.5 million people round Lake Victoria.”The lake is being choked by raw waste from the industry and unfortunately the local authorities around the lake have done little to reverse this trend. The lake is soon giving up and studies suggest that very few fish species are left under the water as some have been forced to extinction due to lack of fresh water,”said Ojwang’.
Ends