Lake pollution
>> Thursday, June 28, 2007
Car wash
In Kisumu, some anti-pollution funds have been secured to expand the water and sewage treatment plant within the city.
Car wash businesses being run by dozens of youth by the shores of the lake are also to be relocated to higher ground - as they have been identified as another source of pollution on the lake.
The Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda recently launched the Lake Victoria Commission to ensure the sustainable exploitation of such a precious resource.
Weed menace
The extra soil deposits in the lake has helped water hyacinth grow on the lake.
Benedict Kwangu of the Lake Nyanza Environmental and Sanitation Organisation (Lanesco) in Mwanza says the weed is a menace on the shore, obstructing marine transport and fishing activities.
"Lack of trees has caused massive deposits of silt - especially during this rainy season and this has catalysed the growth of the hyacinth."
Dying fish
Dr Fred Wanda, a researcher at the Jinja Fisheries Institute in Uganda, says their findings show a lot of waste is being deposited into Lake Victoria from towns like Jinja, Masaka and Kampala and warns this must be stopped.
"The nutrients deposited are causing a rapid growth of algae which reduces the amount of oxygen in the lake and fish die as a result."
Fuel spillage
The growing demand in international markets for Nile perch and Tilapia fish caught in the lake has led to more fishermen.
Dozens of fishing boats are out on the lake every night to supply the 18 fish processing industries in Uganda.
Researchers say fuel spilled from fishing boats is poisoning aquatic plants, which are vital for feeding fish and serve as breeding grounds.
Raw sewage
Increased pollution is threatening the sustainable use of Lake Victoria, a vital resource for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, reports the BBC’s Noel Mwakugu. Each day gallons of raw sewage and rubbish flows into the lake from houses and industries near its shores.
In Kisumu, on the Kenyan side of the lake, sewage from 20% of homes flows into the waters.
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